Mapping Happiness

Mapping Happiness

A lot of things have changed over the years. Cell phones are amazing and freeing. GMOs maybe not so much. One of the changes I’ve had is to go from being an emotions hater to an emotions lover.

I know I’ve used this analogy before, but I like it. Emotions are our system’s GPS. They let us know where we are with our thinking, with our beliefs, with our behavior, with our view of the world.

One of the beliefs I have adopted is the notion that we can, here on earth, transcend suffering and choose happiness. Not McMansion-hot-cars-jewels-and-furs happiness, but a profound soul happiness. I believe that we all have that soul happiness deep within us, and that we all have access to the tools and resources we need to uncover it. I believe that our emotions let us know when we are on course, or off course.

How do my emotions support me? What makes me own my feelings? Why do I know what I like?

Something I’ve noticed about me is that I like stuff, and I don’t like stuff. That changes, like oil on water on a breezy day, all flowing and glowing. Knowing that my preferences change really helped me with this whole thinking about happiness and emotions.

So here are some ideas I’ve had. I am just knocking them around in my head to see what comes out. If you have opinions about them, I would love to hear them.

I feel sad when I feel I have lost something I like. Or when I feel I have acquired something I don’t like.

I feel scared when I feel I may lose something I like. Or when I feel I may acquire something I don’t like.

I feel angry when I feel I am losing something I like. Or when I feel I am acquiring something I don’t like.

So, when I am feeling clear and centered and present, I usually own where I am at, and feel happy. Sometimes I even feel joyful or blissed out.

When I am feeling one of the basic seven emotions, I look at my likes and dislikes, and, if I can own them, I can often get back to feeling clear and centered and present. Sometimes, I have feelings, what I think of as complex sets of thoughts and emotions. Sorting out my feelings can take longer, still going to my current likes and dislikes really helps.

Sometimes I feel crazy.

That feeling used to scare me (I felt like I might lose my mind.) What really helped me with that feeling was remembering that my conscious thought is about 12% of all my thought, and that sometimes, I have big stuff bouncing around in my unconscious mind. When that happened in the old days, I would get anxious and stressed, and feel like I was crazy. Now, I relax, get meditative, and often the unconscious material will pop up and the crazy feeling will go away.

I love this Leonard Cohen line: Only one thing made him happy, and now that it was gone, everything made him happy.

How have I changed from suffering to being soul-happy?

(c) Pam Guthrie all rights reserved 03062014

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