Project Happiness Articles — connection

Facing mental health issues leaves you caught in the headlights. It strips you of everything you think is essential and forces you to reevaluate your life, and that's what has happened to me. Crazy, I know, but thats how my issues with mental health can alter my thinking. And yet I am not my illness, and every day I strive to take up the challenge to celebrate life for all that it is.

But despite finding ourselves in an environment of ever-increasing apathy and self-centeredness, there are actually a multitude of ways to generate a positive impact through practicing altruism, showing compassion, and most importantly, by taking real action.

Nothing beats the serenity and peace you will find when gardening. It is not a coincidence that doctors recommend this activity to people who have had a great loss in their lives. The feeling of being in the here and now and the ability to switch off the tormenting thoughts is a blessing if you ever find yourself in this situation.

I have given much thought to that age-old question of how we square pegs fit through a round hole; how we fit through the opportunities before us. And what I have found along that journey is that we have three answers – and therefore three options.

Now that we live in the era of unlimited connectedness, we seem to have lost the single thread of our own stories that makes us so wonderfully human – our humility.

Most of us already have a subjective idea of the joyful feelings of being away from a crowded city, but you might not be aware of just how essential interacting with nature is for positive mental health. 

But what does a great friend do that sets them apart? What can we do to make sure we are being the best friend we can be to those we love?

So, where does our courage come from?  What makes us suddenly feel heroic in challenging territory? And most importantly, how do we apply those feelings to other aspects of our lives?