Unlocking Happiness

Right before I went on maternity leave, we switched to a better internet provider so that we could stream Netflix – and thank goodness! With a newborn, the most I can usually accomplish in a day is to wash a load of cloth diapers and take a shower once Butch comes home. The ability to veg out on the couch and choose from a wide variety of movies and TV shows (Orange is the New Black, anyone?) is just perfect for the energy levels I have right now.

One of the documentaries I watched recently was Happy, which “takes us on a journey from the swamps of Louisiana to the slums of Kolkata in search of what really makes people happy. Combining real life stories of people from around the world and powerful interviews with the leading scientists in happiness research, Happy explores the secrets behind our most valued emotion.”

One of the locations highlighted in the film was Denmark, specifically the co-housing communities that exist there. It’s an interesting concept – all the best of communal living without any creepy self-proclaimed guru shit. In fact, Denmark was recently crowned the happiest country in the world.

In general, I was inspired by the overall simplicity of everyone’s lives who were profiled. Not that I think my life needs to be so much more fabulous than it is (I did simplify by moving upstate…), but the drastic way in which my day-to-day (and middle-of-the-night) has changed can be a bit overwhelming at times. I need to work on re-framing things mentally when I start to feel down…and remember things will get easier, and there will eventually be more “happy” than otherwise!

Some related links that have been inspiring me also:

10 Easy Things That Will Make You Happier, Backed By Science

15 Life Changing Lessons to Learn from Wayne Dyer

Rebelle Society – Happiness

Happy cover from IMDB