Carol Is In Trouble

Aristotle said: "Happiness is the meaning and purpose of life, the whole aim and the end of human existence."

A troubled mind can contribute to health problems.

"We know that up to 80% of visits to primary care doctors are due to conditions that are caused or exacerbated by unmanaged stress. Being happy doesn't just make us feel better, it improves our health."

"Experts agree a one-time booster shot, whether a funny movie or a piece of good news, isn't likely to make a lasting difference. For that, there must be a mindset shift." 

Dr. Francoise Adan, psychiatrist

"A vast scientific literature has detailed how negative emotions harm the body. Serious, sustained stress or fear can alter biological systems in a way that, over time, adds up to "wear and tear" and, eventually, illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Chronic anger and anxiety can disrupt cardiac function by changing the heart's electrical stability, hastening artherosclerosis, and increasing systemic inflammation."

Harvard School of Public Health

Scientific studies have begun to reveal a host of physical health benefits surrounding happiness including a stronger immune system, stronger resilience in the face of stress, a stronger heart and less risk of cardiovascular disease, alongside quicker recovery times when overcoming illness or surgery.There is even a body of research that indicates being happy may help us to live longer lives."

Positive Psychology, 2019

I'm getting all clinical on you because I know you are tired of hearing me talk about how fucking happy I am. I would get tired of talking about it if I wasn't so happy. So I decided to put some meat on the bone.

I was deeply unhappy for at least 20 years. At least. So much so that it was just a fact of life. My body and mind absorbed the unhappiness and made it part of my overall makeup. So in a strange kind of way, at times, I did not notice it. In other words I was not always walking around with my head down, spewing negative-isms, crushingly depressed and dressed all in black. Sometimes I laughed. Sometimes I felt all right. 

Except I wasn't all right. Now that I am experiencing genuine happiness I realize that previously I was morbidly all right. The walking dead conceding defeat in life and accepting it as normal. Which kind of takes the edge off.

Then happiness exploded into my consciousness, and I mean exploded. The contrast is severe, and tastes like chocolate. At first I almost couldn't handle it because it was a foreign emotion and so very intense.

It affects everything. Literally every aspect of my waking existence.

Perspective, opinions, attitude, point of view, how I respond to things, how I approach things, my relationship with Carol, my relationship with the world, my sense of responsibility, my way of thinking about life. Life.

There is no doubt that happiness has a positive effect on your life. No fucking doubt.

But there is a relatively new school of thought that takes it a step further. Read the following quote:

"There is general agreement amongst scientific minds that happiness improves health. But recent studies prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that a sudden, explosive, and unexpected blast of happiness that carries with it the promise of longevity - something cataclysmic, something life-changing, something drastic with huge and long-lasting implications - studies prove that kind of happiness adds a guaranteed 25 years to a person's life."   Dr. J.R. Testa, Phd, world renowned expert on happiness and longevity, and master of life.

I will live to be 95. At least.

Carol is in trouble.