4 Tips to Boost Happiness with Mindfulness

It seems as though, ever since man had the ability to contemplate life, we contemplated happiness. From the earliest philosophers?to the recent psychologists and current neuroscientists, happiness and wellbeing are still at the forefront of our research, and also not very well understood. Nietzsche?thought that in order for us to experience true happiness, we must also experience true pain and suffering, as you cannot have one without the other. Most of us wouldn’t like to believe in that however.

Another product of the philosophical past, although this time from the Eastern branch, is that of mindful meditation. Arising from the Buddhists and their form of anapanasati, mindfulness teaches us to be aware and present of what’s going on around and inside us. Turns out, being mindful can also help cultivate our happiness, as expressed in this article on Huffington Post:

There is another form of wellbeing and happiness, eudaimonic happiness, first explored by Aristotle. This type of happiness and flourishing is not dependent on external circumstances but rather emerges from an inner sense of wellbeing and a living in alignment with ones values. Mindfulness is a practice which can help us cultivate a sense of inner wellbeing which allows us to feel content and well without needing to obtain anything from the outside world. It’s a rare feeling in this age of consumerism but it is available to all of us at any moment.

It’s not often that an act, such as meditation, will be practiced for as long as this has, and to also see the recent scientific backing that is now accompanying mindfulness. Perhaps we should consider ourselves lucky that it never drifted out of fashion, because it’s starting to look like the next big thing in personal health. Check out the rest of the article?for the other points.