There are a group of people who have totally given up on ever being happy.
They have decided that life is just too hard, and they do what it takes to suffer through. But of course they will let you know how terrible their suffering is. They feel helpless to do anything about it. Most have even given up on caring about changing and many resort to drugs and alcohol to numb the pain.
Fortunately, not everyone has given up on being happy, nor does everyone engage in risky behaviors to their total and complete demise. Neither do they experience such extreme negative outcomes as losing everything. You don’t have to get divorced, go bankrupt, or land in jail to have your life disrupted. The negative impact of unhappiness for you could be subtle — so subtle, in fact, that you might not even recognize it.
The following list identifies many subtle negative effects that can be a direct result of your unhappiness. Many of them might appear to be normal-every-day events. Which of them do you identify with? Do you:
□ have difficulty getting out of bed in the morning?
□ dread the day ahead?
□ feel relief when the day is over?
□ feel depressed and/or anxious on Sunday night because you dread going to a job you dislike
on Monday morning?
□ feel like you’re not quite as good as someone else? (you know who that is).
□ pretend to be someone you’re not?
□ compare yourself to others?
□ feel like “they” have all the good looks, popularity, fun, success, or even luck?
□ want to trade places with someone who has “more of something” than you do?
□ choose the wrong relationship partner over and over?
□ have a series of failed relationships?
□ want out of the relationship you’re in, but stay in it anyway?
Which of the above do you identify with? Make a list and note how each one of the negative effects usually leads to more unhappiness.
