.jpg)
CELEBRATE THIS DAY ON THE 8TH OF AUGUST
The 3 P’s
Pleasure
Is a feeling of happiness, satisfaction and enjoyment. Stretching out relaxed, binging your favourite TV show and unwinding with a tub of ice cream after a tiring day or the sight of the sun shining through your window being the first thing you see when you wake up; That’s pleasure.
Passion
Is a feeling of intense enthusiasm towards or compelling desire for something. Staying back in the dance room, after everyone has left, losing oneself in the music; that’s passion.
Purpose
Is a person's sense of resolve. It can be anything from aiming high in your career, having a will to travelling the world, striving for healthy relationships or making the world a slightly better place. This is what drives you.
The 3P’s are the driving forces of delight. Like Jack Wu once said,
“Pleasure will get you started. Passion will keep you striving. But purpose will make it last.”
In the long run we must find pleasure in something we do, in order to make it our passion which could someday become our purpose. And that could result in you smiling day after day, about how far you’ve come. However, we must also learn to appreciate the little moment of pleasure, passion and purpose, which may help us lead a happy life. It’s good to smile whenever you can :)
We can’t expect to find pleasure in everything we do, but we will find it in something and If you haven’t yet, don’t worry. You will soon.
Close Connections
Since happiness is an important factor in our lives, it’s necessary to take time to appreciate and find joy in the smaller things in life, which will go a long way. Without this, we’d like to say that our life would be pretty much like a black and white film. With barely anything in it but grim faces.
Being happy is vital in relationships too. To giggle, grin and gratify creates a great dynamic and easiness in any relationship. The moment you can’t do these, you know that there’s just something missing. Keep in mind though that this is a two-way street- a healthy relationship requires effort made by both sides, in any respect. Imagine if one of you puts in all the joy that can be mastered while the other only burdens with more load… something needs to be done.
Moreover, happiness helps you have an optimistic attitude towards life as a whole. It can reduce the fights you have, help you guys get through the hard times together, help you cope through stress better, etc. It’s capable of bringing in the elements of respect and loyalty as well, while creating a calm environment. Sometimes, this positivity can cause real change. It forces you enjoy the little moments, make new memories, laugh at the past. It can transport a person who in pain to an unforgettable place. It can heal wounds. It can bring people together. And it can be a way of saying “thank you… for everything”.
Work
'Work’ can mean different things. Hearing the word may fill you with dread, leave you neutral, or overflow you with joy. Now especially, enjoying what you do is a key aspect to make the situation better. Of course, this doesn’t mean it is a must to enjoy everything. What it does mean, however, is learning to enjoy what you can.
Interest develops naturally, hence it isn’t something that can be forced upon you, but it would be in your favour to have an open mind.
Here are some tips to you could use:
● Movements: It is proven that exercise sharpens thinking, boosts creativity, and lifts moods. Just some pacing around can help you process information better, so when you have a break… go for it!
● Do not compare: Focus on your own performance and progress, this is your life, own it
● Don’t push it too far: Forcing yourself to work will only lead to over-exhaustion or bad content. Do what you can, do it well, and then rest
● Gratitude: Sometimes, we forget to look at the little things. Think about the good things that have happened to you in the past hour, day, week, or month. Appreciate it. Smile at it.
● Go natural: Instead of eating the junk that you love, try to eat some delicious fruits of your choice. And there’s more! Try hummus, fruit toasts, name it. You may be surprised at the difference it makes.
Hobbies
Enjoying yourself while working is paramount to keep you going in the long run, as mentioned before. On the other hand, relishing yourself at other times does indeed also add on to your overall merriment. Take some time off. Do things that you love. It could be something as simple as listening to music. Clearly, this pandemic has changed the way we live drastically. Nevertheless, we must continue trying our best. It may get to us, but it is essential to know that you are not alone, and you can enjoy yourself, irrespective of the situation you find yourself in.
That means more than just looking at your screen… there’s so much more we can do, now is the times to explore. Hobbies make a real difference, and we can’t emphasize more on this. Adapting at times like these will not only get the stress off your shoulders, but also develop your character. Tell yourself that you can do this.
Distract yourself. Enjoy yourself.
Selflessness
There have been several studies to prove that aiding others or simply giving, greatly increases one’s internal happiness. For example, a study has shown that people who describe themselves as ‘very happy’ volunteered in soup kitchens, helped at-risk youth, etc. for 5.8 hours in 3 months. A 2006 study found that doing charity activates regions of the brain associated with pleasure, social connection, and trust, creating a “warm glow” effect.
Even a small act of kindness can set about a chain reaction. It has also been found that a person performs an act of kindness only after they observe another individual do the same. If you ponder over it, deep down our happiness depends a lot on our surroundings. We cannot possibly be happy in an environment where everyone around us is unhappy! What we’re trying to say is, helping others gives a person a sense of purpose and satisfaction. It just does, and there’s no limit to how much we can do. And the best thing? It’s beneficial for both parties.
Giving makes us far happier than receiving. Think about it, imagine receiving a Gucci shirt as a birthday present; How would you feel? Happy of course! But imagine giving any shirt new or old to a person who really needs it, won’t that make you feel even better?
The Arts
Depending on the type of song and words song, music can make us feel certain emotions in our bodies. Music is a form of sound so, it produces a frequency that affects our brainwave and in turn evokes certain feelings, for example, a calming tune with positive words will make us feel happy while a sad tune with words of pain will set us in a melancholy mood. I mean didn’t the 3-headed dog in harry potter sleep to the soothing sound of the harp?!
Research shows that creating art releases a chemical when we do something pleasurable which basically makes us feel happy. Arts can help us relax and transfer all the stress and anxiety in our bodies onto a medium and drawing, painting and writing is a way of working through one’s emotions. We as teens hold in so much stress from our day to day lives. Move the stress from your body by dancing, jumping, walking, and anything else you can think of!
Lastly, think about your problems. Don’t avoid any thoughts and “act” like your happy, talk to someone about it. Work out your emotions in any form that’s comfortable with you. For a lot of people, that’s some form of art. Think that’s not sure you? Well give it a try, you may be surprised.
They can make us feel alive, productive and capable- if you ask us, that’s practically what leads to SUCCESS.
Nature
Due to covid-19 and the lockdown we find ourselves spending most of our days indoors with little to no exposure of sunlight and nature. Even if you don’t notice it, staying in increases bodily tension and recklessness. Going out in any way you can and exposing yourself to the world around you is integral, and this sudden shift of scene can really take a toll.
Not only does sunlight give us vitamins and light it also significantly enhances our mood and relives stress. Simple acts such as sitting in the sun or taking a stroll in your garden can really brighten your day. You can also perform/practice physical activities in your garden/terrace which can really improve your mood and health. It is crucial to ensure that we do not stay indoors, using devices 24/7, we must take some time out to do physical activities or simply sit outside. Look at some green, take a deep breathe; you need it even if you don’t know it. It gives is some calm and peace unlike anything else, might as well take advantage of it.
Friends
This situation is very new to all of us. For most of us this is the longest time we’ve been away from our friends and social life. Having friends and people whom you can talk to helps us cope with bad situations, and obviously friends are a really big part of everyone’s happiness. But because of the situation many people are losing touch with their friends- or have been neglecting them at the very least- and spending more time playing video games, watching shows etc.
It is absolutely essential that we all put in effort to sustain our friendships during this time. We’re sure many feel pretty disconnected from their friends as we can’t meet them face to face at the moment… but video calls on WhatsApp, FaceTime, Instagram and more can really help us feel more connected by seeing each other’s faces even if it’s through a screen. Miss each other? Don’t just talk, do something together. It can be anything from cooking, working out, to playing games or working on a peer project.
And do it on a video call!
On that note, we implore you teens to take this day to really sit down and think about what makes you happy and how you can achieve that. Maintaining your relationships, indulging in hobbies and creative activities, carrying out acts of selflessness, and everything else here are just tools to help you make a start in understanding what works the best for you.
So, remember: it’s all your choice, what works for you. But we want you to know that many times than not, something makes happy, we celebrate it, and then we keep raising the bar to achieve even more happiness. In such cases, we’ll just never be satisfied.
This is why it’s necessary to know the difference between happiness and joy… when you feel joy, let it be because of the process; because of enjoying the work you put in; because of all the people you got with you.
Don’t look at just the result, you’ll never really be happy then.
Define what success means to you. Know that true happiness comes from more than just laughter. Surround yourself with those who respect and love you. Don’t depend on others to make you feel anything.
Allow yourself to be happy. And let’s shine together.
With all kinds of glee, delight & elation,
Just A Teen