Photo by Will van Wingerden on Unsplash

The Pursuit of Happiness

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), suicide is the third leading cause of death for youth between the ages of 10 and 24.  In the U.S. alone, we average over 5,400 suicide attempts every day.

It begs the question, why is our youth so unhappy?

What is happiness and how can we get more of it? 

As it turns out, our society has conditioned us to seek happiness and to, “do whatever makes you happy.”  The problem is, most people do not have a clue what makes them happy. They may feel happy at one moment, but the feeling leaves them as quickly as it comes.

Most parents focus on creating happiness by spoiling their kids with trips or gifts. They run away to extravagant theme parks and fill their Christmas trees with presents. There’s often no end to the amount of junk that’s accumulated throughout the year in the name of happiness.  It is not uncommon to hear, “I just want Little Johnny to be happy.” God forbid he sheds a tear or feels uncomfortable from time to time. 

Read Also: Protecting Kids by Empowering Health Conscious Moms

Little do they know, they are conditioning their children to focus on the “HAVE-BE-DO” principle.

Simply put, if they could only have “this,” then they would be happy. More fun places to go, more toys, sweets, screen time, drugs,  sex, more of anything; then they would be happy.

Do you see the problem?

It teaches our children that happiness comes from the outside and not within.  Once the stimulation stops, no more happiness!

What if we teach our children to be content with the simple pleasures of life? How often do we walk in the park and enjoy a cool spring breeze?  Or be still and meditate, enjoying the silence? 

What if we take away all the noise and distractions in our lives? We get rid of everything that is non-essential and focus only on the essential few?

Happiness is making the conscious choice and effort to choose simplicity in our daily lives.

Need help enjoying simplicity? Try introducing a relaxing essential oil like Wild Orange. Just click here to visit my shop and search for Wild Orange. This is a great oil for diffusing or just inhaling by rubbing a few drops on the palms and cupping the mouth and nose. It gives a feeling of happiness and well-being.

Recommended reading: Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown