You know those people at work that pretend they like what you have to say. They pretend to get along with you and they pretend to enjoy your company. You’ll walk down the hall and you’ll see this fake smile that the rest of their body doesn’t seem to match with…and you know, maybe their intentions are good to actually try to get you to smile, but chances are they’re just trying to put on that fake goofiness to get your upset.
Putting your heads together to solve your depression problem – you’re doing it wrong.
I like to assume that they’re doing it just to try to be happy, and that trying and failing is what’s actually making them depressed and upset…instead of assuming that they’re just inherently grumpy people.
I like to think people aren’t that grumpy, but we can learn from them. We can build genuine happiness and enjoy life more by realizing that hey, maybe forcing happiness into our lives is actually making it less happy than we want it to be. So here are a couple tips to help you stop being depressed from trying to hard to be happy.
1) Stop Trying Too Hard
That’s just it. Happiness is not something that should be hard. Some days will be harder than others, sure, but it’s not hard to give a smile. It’s not hard to say hello. It’s not hard to compliment someone’s brownies that they brought in. These are things that should just come off the cuff because you’re genuinely interested and appreciative of what they have to offer.
If you’re putting way too much effort into making your life or the lives of others more cheery, then you probably need to rethink the way you’re going about it and choose ways that are more in line with your normal disposition.
2) Look To The Example Of Others
Now, if you’ve seen those other grumpy people or you happen to be one, well guess what, there’s also that other person at work who seems to be always smiling, even after they stub their toe. I mean these people are crazy happy and enthused about life at any given moment.
You need to talk to these people. You need to hang around these people. There’s a saying from many famous personal development books out there that you are most like the five people you’re around the most. This is true for your wealth, your happiness, your overall experience in life.
So pick those super happy people to be around and you’ll eventually notice the things that are working for them, and then you can do those same things and then they will work for you. Learn from the best, forget all the rest.
3) Start Acting Like A Kid Again
Surely you’ve been around a kid before. Now whether that was when you were a kid and it was with your other friends, or a brother or a sister, but if you’ve ever been to a mall, or a restaurant or at a family’s house and they have small kids, do they ever really look sad except for when they don’t get what they want and they’re just having a little tantrum.
Ignore that part. When they’re playing and having a good time it doesn’t matter what they’re doing, what other people around them are doing, what people are saying or what they’re thinking, every single thing is so exciting, and interesting and awesome for them…they don’t know or at least haven’t been trained to think how bad this world is.
They don’t have these bad and horrible labels that make life more difficult. Think like a kid again. Take away the labels, take away your understanding of how bad the world is and you might just start being happier.
Forget Depression, Just Be Happy
If you want to help some of your depression and overall malaise in life from trying to be too happy all the time, just let it flow. Stop trying so hard, look to the examples of others and start trying to be like a kid again. Do these things and your life will be happy soon.