Today is International Day of Happiness, so naturally I’m writing about nothing other than my path to happiness. (Groundbreaking, I know)
To say the last few months have been some of the longest, heart-wrenching, soul-breaking, anxiety-ridden months of my life, would be an understatement. However, they have also been some of the most influential, eye-opening, gratifying and life-changing months of my life – and I’m grateful for that.
In September, I made the heart-breaking decision to leave the life I’d built for myself. I left a near 3-year relationship, a house, a cat, a career, a second family. For the simple reason of: I was unhappy.
I was unhappy with myself, and since happiness blooms from within, I knew I couldn’t fully give myself to anyone or anything else if I wasn’t fully loving myself, first. So I decided to leave everything I knew, to come back to a place that was familiar so I could find myself again, fall in love with myself, recognize myself in the mirror, and ultimately put myself back together.
Half a year has passed, and I have happiness, contentment and passion flowing through my veins.
6+ months ago
In short, I was a wreck.
I was unhappy with the person I was. I didn’t like seeing myself in the mirror. I didn’t like how I felt in my skin – not only because I didn’t like my appearance, but because I didn’t like how I felt on the inside. Everything was blue and it was an actual struggle to be happy each day.
I had to put a real effort into being happy, and I never had to do that before. I was confused because for others, happiness came so naturally, it was the “default emotion” but for me, it was an effort to feel it.
I was upset. I was angry. I was sad. I was stressed. I was anxious every second of every day. I felt lost and alone, though I was surrounded by people who loved me. I put others before myself, and not once did I think that I should be taking care of me. I thrived off others being happy, and I completely disregarded my own well-being. I didn’t value myself at all.
I was a wreck, and when I finally woke up and realized that, I knew I had to change my surroundings and my situation in order to get myself back.
So that’s exactly what I did, as seemingly impossible as it was.
Today
I’m still a work-in-progress, but I’m so much happier and healthier – and I’m very, very, proud of myself for doing this for myself.
I wake up early in the morning and see the sky change colors with the sunrise, this quiet time helps set the tone for the day and keeps me grounded with appreciation.
I prioritize my health, eat healthy, take vitamins and drink lots of water. These are all things I let slip over the years, but now I realize that mental health and physical health go hand-in-hand and we should be taking care of both.
I have pushed my well-being to the forefront and I now do simple meditations and have my prayer time every day. My daily check-ins with my brain, feelings and faith keep me calm.
I make it a point to exercise each day – whether it be yoga, walking, or actually breaking a sweat – I make sure I get those endorphins pumping through my body. This makes me happier, and seeing these little changes in my body and energy make me feel accomplished.
I talk it out. I’ve made it a serious point to talk about what I’m feeling instead of bottling them up inside. Writing it out is one thing, but actually talking with someone and voicing your feelings or concerns and getting an outsider’s point of view can make all the difference. (*Talk with someone, get the help you need, confide in people you trust, don’t be ashamed of how you feel, talking it out makes all the difference in the world)
I’ve been carving out time to write. My writing is part of me, and when I don’t take the time to write – whether it be personal, prose, on this site, or for my book – I’ve noticed that I’m unhappy. So I’ve been writing, writing, writing. And soon, I’ll be able to share it all.
I have a newfound love and appreciation for myself. I’ve realized the strength I have and since I’ve lived through the most hurtful 6 months of my life so far, I now know I’m capable of anything. The last few months have taught me that I can be comfortable and happy with being alone, it isn’t scary, and it surely isn’t impossible. I see my reflection and I not only recognize the person in the mirror, but I love the person in the mirror – and that is an incredible feeling.
On that note, I want to leave you with a quote I found this week. It came at the perfect time and took the words right out of my mouth.
“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant. If we did not sometimes taste adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome” – Anne Bradstreet
Just remember that flowers don’t bloom year-round, and neither do we – and that’s okay. Periods of regrowth and rebuilding are beautiful, too.
❤
39 responses to “My path to happiness | International Day of Happiness”
Glad you are happier! 🙂 Keep finding the little victories every day and keep working to that full happiness. Good luck!
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Thank you so much, Marcus! 😊
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Love the post Jasmine…. Keep grinding….Never give up… Stand tall… hold your head up….
“We may encounter many defeats… But we must not be defeated…in fact it may be necessary we encounter defeats so we can know who WE REALLY ARE!… How strong we really are… How we fall and how we stand up again!!
Chin, chinx
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Thank you for sharing that with me, I love this!
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Beautiful written post 💜 You are so right. Life may be though but we learn from the hardships. I’m glad that you are happier now. I send you all much courage and luck 💜
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Thank you so much!
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Wish you all the best. I guess have been in your shoes. I left 8+ years relations, left my country. But here I am. Everything happens for the reason and the result is always better than expected! Wish you a good luck! 🙂
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Wow. Kudos to you for going through all of that for your own happiness – it takes a strong lady to do that! ❤️
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You are incredibly wise, Jasmine. So proud to call you a friend. I love that you’re writing a lot. Can’t wait to be able to read whatever you’re dreaming up when you decide to publish. Wishing you all the happiness in the world!
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May you be blessed with loads of happiness! I can very much relate to what you have written. You are the only person who can make yourself happy. Good luck Jasmine 💓
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“You are the only person who can make you happy”
I love that! Thank you so much.
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such a good read!! I’m glad you feel fulfilled by making such a big decision✨
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Thank you so much!
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Wonderful post! Very authentic and heartfelt!
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Thank you! 🙂
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Beautiful post! I’m so happy you found your true self and that you fell in love with yourself! 🙏🏽 Thank you for sharing!
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Thank you SO much, that means a lot to me!
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It takes a lot of courage to do what you did. That get up and go, reset your life is a huge decision, that seems to be worth it. Anyone that can truly find their “lost” self has already won a battle, and one of may life trophies. Good for you!
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Thank you SO much, you don’t know how much those words mean to me. Thank you, thank you!
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You’re welcome. Enjoy your youth, it is very important that you do.
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Life decisions are hard to make and suck! It looks like you made a good choice!
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So happy that you were brave enough to make the necessary changes! I’m happy for you!
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Thank you so much!
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I’m glad you came out of your unhappiness. I can feel your enthusiasm. I am happy for you! Thank you for following my blog 😊.
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Thank you so much, Winnie! That means a lot!
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You’re welcome, Jasmine!
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Wow! If this isn’t an empowering and insightful post, I wouldn’t know what is!
You seem incredibly brave and it looks like it’s paying off for you! 🙂
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Thank you so, so much! This means so much to me 🙂
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I can still hear my mom’s words, “Sister, you must learn to love yourself in order to truly love others.” God’s love is all around – within us, surrounding us, and constantly drawing us all closer to Him. Thank you for this post.
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I love that! And I’m so glad I saw that a few months ago. I can’t love anyone without first loving myself – I’m so grateful for that revelation!
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[…] you read my last post, I’ve been here in Hawaii for 6 months now, which I still can’t grasp. Time FLIES. And […]
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Couldn’t agree more with you. Amazing piece♥️
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Well done – it can be extremely difficult to remove yourself from a situation like this when you are so deeply entrenched in it. Glad you’re feeling better about yourself!
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Thank you so much, Liam!
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So relatable and all true! I made a similar change nearly 5 years ago and I am living my dream life and fulfilling more dreams all the time. And the part about fruit tasting sweeter when you’ve lived with bitter? ABSOLUTELY TRUE! Way to dare to imagine things differently! I’m really happy for you and the hope you give others by sharing your journey.
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I love this: fruit tasting sweeter when you’ve lived with bitter. So, so, so true. Thank you so much for all your kind words!
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[…] If you had met me a few years ago, I would have told you that having a secure, stable job, a home, and a routine were the most important things in life. I’ve grown since then. I’ve gone down that path and I’ve realized that following a structure like that only led me to being unhappy. I was secure and safe, yes. I was able to pay my bills and I always had food to eat and a roof over my head. But after I got it all, I found that I was still lacking something – true happiness and freedom. […]
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SO glad to have found your blog! Thank you very much for sharing such inspiring and vulnerable post. You just earned a new follower x
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So happy you’re here ❤️
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