I wish I knew what "Happy" was.  

I totally agree with you on this, primarily because it's exactly how I feel most of the time. An old professor of mine once said, "Depressed people see the world as it actually is...and apparently it sucks." Lol. I've always agreed with this remark simply because if you look at the world around you...all of the crime and poverty and hatred and inhumanity that will never seize...you can't help but to feel, at the very least, melancholy. I think happy people...or people who believe they're happy...are in a state of denial. They choose to be oblivious to what's going on around them. At the same time, I believe happiness IS a state of mind, and it's healthy and beneficial to a person's morale and personal growth for him/her to believe that they are, in fact, happy.

G, sounds like you need a fifth of scotch and a whole woman. I guess being happy is a state of mind, I tend to live in the state of Texas where everything is bigger so naturally I'm a lot happier as if I lived in Oklahoma which is blander than a bowl of grits. I hope its not the only thing you fake.

i honestly dont think anyone knows what true happiness is. they know what it is to feel excited loved and other things but befor anyone can feel true happiness they have to feel what it is to be sad upset and what ever feelings there are that make you feel down in the dumps then and only then will you know what it is to have true happiness not just being happy.

Being happy is only a state of emotion... for me... Being happy is finding my true purpose in life and feeling that euphoric sensation... Being happy is sincere. Being happy is appreciating life and seizing every moment whether its good or bad.. That's happiness.. And also I believe that happiness will only be complete if we already answer all our questions about life.

Hi mrghill, I don't think that I will be very useful in this
discussion since I have never been happy a day in my life!
You surely have had more happiness than I have ever known.
You have a wife and children so you must have been happy a
few times. I don't have anything like that and those are the
things that are supposed to give you the most happiness, family.
I have my cats. They give me the most happiness. I have the
boyfriend and that is debatable. So I have not real idea
what the hell it means to be happy. I have clinical
depression and am on psych meds. What the hell would I know
about happiness? I am going to see my therapist tomorrow. I
could ask her and then she will ask me what do I think? So
I guess I will skip that question. I have been wondering
what the answer is all my life and I am afraid I will take
that to my grave! So mrghill, have I helped you in any way?
At least I should get best response for my efforts.

i believe that happiness is a magical state of mind when your still skipping thru the playground and chasing frogs. as an adult i cant think of a time when i was truly happy. ive had moments of happiness, but a true happy state of being..if that makes any sense.

also of note...those moments of happiness usually shortly precede a truly dreadful time lol! now isnt that just a b*tch!

I know how you feel. For me, it's even harder to know what "happy" really is because I never really had it, even as a child. Thanks mom and dad. Even so, I have learned that you have to go through the motions of seeming happy until you reach it. You may never get there, but I guess you have to try? I let myself get stressed out about things, too. Some of them are things I have no control over and some of them are things that I just shouldn't sweat. Do I do it to myself? Am I preventing myself from being happy? My advice to you would be to try to not worry about things, appreciate what you have, and try to keep a positive outlook. I recently read an article that a woman wrote about spending a year trying to be happy because she was tired of feeling you feel. She discovered that as she acted happy, she became more satisfied with her life.

If you are feeling depressed i think the best way to overcome that is by analyzing what the root problem is... You will only feel contentment if you knew what you should be thankful for. Also its not bad to seek professional help. My cousin used to be so unfulfilled with her life and after talking it over with a professional she then started to change for the better of course...

i can understand what you are saying.i now think of happiness as compromising,as i always have to compromise on something or the other to maintain peace in the house.i think i was happy when i was a child,i did not have a care in the world.

you sound so much like me. my life has been difficult for as long as i can remember despite all i do to make things better. i feel like i am existing not living and just trying to survive day to day what with financial problems, marital problems, weight problem, a child who is being evalutated for possible autism and health issues for both my son and i. it is all so exhausting i do not know how to feel happy either and like you i fake it most of the time. i feel like each day is just drudgery and i have so much i have to do to get through it i find myself ticking things off the list each time i accomplish things and looking forward to going to bed at the end of the day. i am not a depressed person but my circumstances have made me sad and i wonder each day why things always have to be so hard. i look for any break i can get in my tedious schedule and anytime i get down time i take it.