ATM of happiness

[Written by Ee Lyn]

 

Ever found it hard to think positively when you're down? I guess we all do. It's really hard to look at the bright side when things are getting tough. 

Here's an idea I got from a lecturer last week. Apparently it's something that I've been doing since around three years ago. I never noticed, until a lecturer brought it up when a course mate questioned him about how to think positive when one is really depressed.

The idea is to practise being happy while we're not feeling depressed. Think and do happy things, look at the brightest of all bright sides when we have the energy to do so, and feel as if the world is filled with nothing but happiness. Try to put those happiness into our very own ATM machine of happiness - wherever it is; our memory, our heart, our mind - and when we feel like we've ran out of happy virus, we can turn to our ATM machine to withdraw happiness. 

I'm not sure how exactly do we withdraw happiness from the ATM machine that isn't actually visible. But what I used to do back in college(when I needed frequent boost of happiness in my tough life) was, I'd cherish all the happy moments, and when I fall into a slump some time later, I look back at the joyful moments and laugh at the old jokes from special people in those priceless encounters. It made me feel blessed; blessed to have experienced such happiness. I guess that means I'm so much luckier than many other people on earth; and that itself, is something to always be thankful and happy for.

Found a heart-shaped cornflake in my cereal one day.

Like how we get interest for storing money in the bank, according to Dr. Alvin(our associate professor), we get interest for storing happiness in our ATM of happiness too. How? By helping others and giving them happiness when they need it.

My own understanding/experience is, through helping others, I feel good about myself. It makes me feel that I'm blessed enough to be able to help others. I mean, being able to help people means you have extra to give, doesn't it? Even if you're not exactly wealthy(not just in sense of money, we can be wealthy in terms of happiness, love, experience etc too), or even if you're not even that well off to begin with, being able to actually give out some of what you have means you have enough to keep yourself living. That, I think, is a blessing in itself.

Also, I find the smiles people give you when you help them, really warm - so warm they usually make my day in an instant. Even now when I think of a particular time in the past where I told someone something when nobody noticed him, the way he looked back at me with that appreciative smile still makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. 'Thank you' was probably all he had said, but I feel appreciated - and that gives me the energy to always stay happy.

I guess we probably take happiness for granted at times. We should probably always be thankful for the happiness we have because there are many unhappy beings out there. Being able to feel happiness from deep down - even just once - is a huge, huge blessing.

So let's all try to sign up for this ATM of happiness where we can store our happiness and withdraw them when we ever run out of those at hand. The amount of interest we get probably depends on how much we share, or how much we store in the bank. It could also depend on how skilled we are at withdrawing them from the machine - it takes practice of course - I for one needed a few tries before I got used to using the ATM cash machine. 

While writing this, I just noticed how I'm usually really stingy at spending money for myself. I often save up, and by the time I've stored enough to buy what I want, I usually don't feel like spending my 'hard earned' cash. Some of the money I've saved up to pamper myself have ended up as donations instead (for the Sendai tsunami, Thailand flood and some others).

Could it be possible that I manage happiness the same way I manage my savings? Storing up whenever I can, but never willing to really spend on myself. 

If that's the case, I guess that's a good sign?

I hope ;)

Stay well.