By Maria Mylona

We are in the most beautiful and joyful season, spring. Even people who are born in spring have a different variety of characteristics, as it is believed to affect everything from height to wit. Summer is just around the corner and the mood is starting to change. The sense of happiness and joy takes off. We disorient ourselves by starting with short escapes to warm up and dreaming in anticipation of the summer holidays. Feeling happy has countless health benefits including reduced stress response, reduced insulin resistance, reduced cholesterol, better sleep and better brain function which leads to reduced levels of depression. However, the concept of happiness has many different meanings for each of us. It is made up of a variety of emotions, both positive and negative to provide balance. We are happy when there is security, stability, meaning and goals in our lives. When we feel we belong to a group/family, when we are calm and at peace with our inner self, feeling grateful for life itself, with its ups and downs. Joy is equally important. I would call it a “moral obligation” in the world we live in. Our touch, our smile, our presence combined with the mystery of human life defines our movements and our choice in the freedom, prosperity and love we embody in ourselves and in the people around us.

Our planet needs love, caring and closeness otherwise we will have a guilty feeling which will deprive us of happiness. Gratitude, appreciation and caring contribute to our happiness. If we try to see through the eyes of others we may come closer to what we seek. But let us not confuse the transient search for pleasure with a long-term sense of happiness. Our brains are quite primitive as they are more easily triggered by negative events. For example, the sky has clouds but at the same time birds flying around singing. This dipole variety makes up our life. The difficulties we may face are just a stage of our experiences. Then comes hope, love, beauty. We determine what we choose and whether we dive into darkness or beauty and love. Through my work I have seen that a little training in gratitude, generosity and mindfulness can turn an event into an opportunity for growth. To give us meaning for a different approach. In our minds and hearts, the seed we sow ourselves will grow.

“Wherever we go, we can be a beacon of well-being, love, and care that not only touches but uplifts those whom we encounter” by Jack Kornfield.

Maria Mylona is a Psychologist and a professor of psychology. She is a Synthetic Psychotherapist. She is trained in Positive Psychology by Stanford University. She holds an MSc in Health Psychology from the University of Surrey and a BSc in Evolutionary Psychology from Empire College, State University of New York. She is also certified in the application of Psychometric Testing by the University of Cambridge. E-mail: contact@mariamylona.gr

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