Emotional Resilience- Happiness

If needs are met, any other extra possessions won’t officially make you happy in the long run. Once you possess something, eventually you feel the need for more.

‘As a result of these types of findings, researchers now consider happiness to depend less on people's actual circumstances and more on how people choose to respond to their circumstances.’ Or, perhaps how to react to their emotions… ‘how happy you are depends on how you approach your life and the people around you. True satisfaction is not about getting what you want but rather is about wanting what you have. Learning to be content with what you have is the true path to happiness.’

Traits of happy people

Good self-esteem- are confident generally and respect their own morals and values. They are able to persist when the going gets tough, as they believe in their own competence.

Personal control- Believe they are in control of their own lives rather than being a ‘passive victim of fate.’

Hopeful, Optimistic: Always have hope, and not let obstacles get them down too much. Believe they are able to succeed when trying something new.

Extroversion- more confident and outgoing around people. Find it pleasurable to be around others. More secure with whom they are.

Social support, in turn, reinforces happy people's sense of self-esteem, in a circle of health. Social support is an important part of the foundation supporting a happy person’s sense of well-being and positive outlook on life.

Make being happy a habit- more happy you feel, the more it will feel normal/natural.

Mills, H., Dombeck, M., June 2005. Emotional Resilience, MentalHelp.net (online). Available at: http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=5787&cn=298