The idea that one can choose to be happy on a moment-to-moment basis is both powerful and straightforward, a low-hanging fruit in the orchard of psychological well-being. At its core, this approach hinges on the concept of emotional self-regulation. You're basically short-circuiting a system that often gets bogged down by external circumstances, past experiences, or future anxieties. Instead of being a passive recipient of emotional states, you're stepping into an active role, orchestrating your own emotional landscape.

When you decide to be happy in the moment, you're employing a mental model that recognizes the impermanence of most problems and the adaptability of the human psyche. This proactive stance frees you from the tyranny of circumstance. Even if conditions are less than ideal, the conscious act of choosing happiness acts as a filter, subtly reframing how you interact with the world. You're not denying reality; you're deciding which aspects of it hold sway over you.

Furthermore, this technique allows for increased cognitive flexibility. When you're happy, or at least content, your brain is more open to creative thought and problem-solving. Negative emotions, on the other hand, often narrow your focus and limit your perceived options.

There's a cumulative effect as well. Each moment of happiness feeds into the next, creating a sort of emotional inertia. It's not unlike compound interest in finance; small, consistent investments in happiness can accumulate into a substantial emotional fortune over time.

Overall, the power of this approach lies in its simplicity and immediacy, which makes it not only actionable but also universally accessible. It offers a streamlined pathway to a happier life, sidestepping the complexities that often accompany other emotional management strategies.

On mobile, so formatting will suck :/

Back in July, I was sitting in the Albany, NY Airport at 4am, bawling my eyes out wondering where the hell I was supposed to go after the ending of a really shitty overall situation. I lost almost all of my friends, spent all of my money trying to get my stuff out of my ex's apartment, and was working a contract with 6 weeks remaining all the way across the country.

Now, I'm back in the gym, have a fairly healthy income and just got enrolled in CDL classes so I can make a massive career change! Ive moved back with my parents far from that town to a state I've always wanted to live in. I get to spend my free time wandering around the Rocky Mountains. I've been able to meet a few people at a billiards hall downtown as well as through one of my current jobs that I'm getting along with fairly well.

The best part, though? Today marks one month completely sober! Alcohol and marijuana had such a grip over me for a long time due to the environment and people I had surrounded myself with, but now that I've completely been removed from that situation I've been able to focus on actually finding out what I want to be, instead of what others are expecting of me, including what I choose to put in my body.

On a little side note: though it may be controversial, I had a few major evangelical types in my life from this experience. I can happily say that I've chosen to completely remove any idea of religion from my life. Knowing that life is truly in my hands gives me so much strength to seek out success.

That's all, I don't have many people I can share my current successes with, so I wanted to post it here. If you took the time to read, thank you!

Keep pushing everyone, we're all gonna make it :)

He's leaving on a short trip and when we were outside and he was about to leave and I was pouting, he told me he was going to miss me and then he said I love you. It kind of came out, I luhh you, so I was a little scared to say it back honestly lol. I kind of froze because I was surprised and he jokingly was like "you didn't say it back!" So then I said it back. And I mean it! It's just funny because I've loved him for way longer but have been too scared to say it first. He's kind of timid with his feelings, believes more about showing things with actions and not words. Anyways, I'm just very glad I got that confirmation tonight, I was so happy that I went inside and cried a little lol

After years of bidding wars, we finally got our home, and just in time for Halloween! I’ve been dreaming of celebrating Halloween in our home with our neighbors and friends for so long. We get in the house just a week before Halloween and I am so excited but I’ve never hosted a Halloween party or had a house to decorate. Inspire me with your favorite memories of Halloween.

It was my first time being in the hospital in the U.S. and I was having a really hard time breathing (severe allergy reaction) and I was very very anxious and scared being in the unfamiliar environment.

I waited in the ER for 13 hours before I got treated, and I had multiple anxiety attacks. Another patient that was also waiting to be treated befriended me and made sure I was okay each time.

During my stay at the ER, I was huddled up in a corner. My friend went around the room briefly talking to everyone for a bit. I thought he was just a social butterfly and killing time, but after talking to everyone he came back to me and told me this that if I was having an anxiety attack and he wasn't there, he listed the friendly people I can go talk to. He was performing a vibe check for me!!! I'm so happy and grateful for him.

I was discharged after 16 hours, and we exchanged contacts. He stopped responding to me, so I assume he is undergoing his jaw surgery right now. I really hope he is okay!!

I hope everybody has an amazing day! I wish everybody the best! I also hope that you get a new season for a t.v show you've been waiting for for ages! I also hope that somebody nice gives you a nice act of kindness even if you don't know them! I wish everybody an amazing Halloween! And happy birthday's to all the upcoming birthday's!

The last year or so of my life I finally feel like I have my shit together and I’m just so happy I have to tell everyone! I close on my very first house in 3 weeks and I just can’t believe it.

My mom has lived in the same single wide trailer for as long as I can remember. It was in such bad shape growing up I’m surprised it’s still standing - and she still lives there.

My dad moved around A LOT. Usually because he was behind on rent and we had to get out in a hurry, leaving most of our belongings behind.

I’ve rented apartments since I was 17, I’ll be 30 next year. A few years ago fell in love with a job I kinda accidentally stumbled into and I almost feel like a different person. This place has really made me grow as a person and in the last year or so I’ve really made changes to get my shit together.

I found the absolute cutest house that’s exactly what I was looking for and in the area I wanted to be in and I close in three weeks!! I’m so overwhelmed with joy and pride!

Made my whole day!

I wrote a song for someone and I was anxious if it would be good enough. They said they love it and that I did very well. Their first words were actually “holy shit honey, it’s beautiful“

Doing music experimentally and self thought feels so often like digging for treasure in the Sea. If I find a colorful stone or seashell some might see it as a wonder and others just as ordinary or even question why I’m holding a wet piece of detritus.

I am not at all ready to share my music with the whole world or web but just knowing it made the person happy is great. They did get my artistic choices and ways!

Today is a very wonderful day! Thank you for listening.

Hi, so I am an English and Public Speaking teacher at a high school, and I had this one student in particular who was always down on themself whenever they presented. My students usually have a 5-10 minute presentation a week (with notes allowed) just to get good at Public Speaking. This student had gone up and presented their presentation every week, and always went back to their seat as it they were about to cry, and it made me feel horrible inside. They were never confident, and would always stutter from nervousness. I could tell this student was trying so I always scored them decently high. However, this last presentation, they went up and did really well, and after every presentation we clap, and as the students were clapping, I saw them clap for themself with a big smile. It made my whole day, so I thought I'd share!

“Wife so nice”

My wife is so tough and able. She excels at everything while being fun and drinking the exact perfect amount while making everyone belly laugh.

While in the army reserves as a dental assistant she knew more than everyone bc she went to college for it while they were exclusively army trained. Then as a civilian she had an advantage again bc because of her training and diligence. As a hygienist now for almost 15 years she runs two chairs with an assistant and sets records every month at her office and is highly valued. People from the company come watch her to see how she operates. Patients love her gentle hand and attention to detail. We actually got set up 5 years ago by a patient who was a mutual friend.

She participates in a diet/exercise program called E2M (eager 2 motivate) and lost 58 lbs. She is so fit and slim and strong and looks fantastic and helps the family meal prep.

She has… not a mean streak but can be kind of ice cold. She loves not having kids and is not compromising. She knows I want kids. This is not a problem we always kind of laugh at this soft spot of mine. She believes I am not really aware of the work and that it will mess up our fun, free lives.

Another gracious fact is that when helping for her half marathon and giving the girls shots and meeting them to take headbands and give or take shirts and give water I got kind of drunk on her birthday and was a little shaky (hammered) and instead of being angry she loved it and laughed and was very kind to me. She said it was the best birthday present.

Anyway now she’s pregnant bc she messed up her birth control and I love love love it. She knows exactly what to do bc so tough and able and always paid attention to her mom and siblings and friends. Boom - prenatal vitamins, must keep working out and stay healthy, no caffeine, no processed meats, we can’t tell anyone first trimester, doctor appointments, we’re going to self sooth, Andy make sure you read to them a lot not kid books but real books, teach them about cars. She says all the E2M girls get pregnant bc so healthy. She fucked up and we laughhhhhh.

TLDR: uncompromising, fun-loving, famous-among-friends wife loves not having kids and never makes mistakes messed up birth control and is now pregnant didn’t skip a beat in being ready to be a mom. We laugh bc I wanted kids and it’s her fault.

Halo will hopefully announce firefight!

Rick and morty season 7!

Minecraft live!

Halloween!

Something else I'm forgetting!

Before I start, I hope kindness reaches this post. I know I made so many mistakes, and this was something I worked really hard to remedy. It made me happy and also emotionally because I don’t have my mom or dad anymore and I think they’d be proud of me. Just wanted to share because I have no one else (except my twin sister who helped me.) I’ll probably delete later. Thank you.

For a long while, I had been posting for help with rent and bills. I got into this mess because I’d help family members with their needs and they demanded more and I’d cave. I also wasn’t responsible enough with my finances to make sure I wasn’t too behind on anything. Hours had dropped a little at work due to the season, and I had allowed a family member to use my DoorDash account so they could feed my nieces (his got banned), which got mine banned. I made this mess and lied in it for a while.

It got to where reaching out became an unhealthy, desperate habit, and it got me banned from assistance subreddits. It sucked, but my constant posting did flag me as suspicious and I understood.

At that point, I realized that I needed to get myself together. I saved money, moved bills around to prioritize rent, pawned my iPad, worked as many hours as I could, etc. My twin sister and I wrote down a budget and stuck to it.

When I realized I still needed at least half of the late balance before the landlord would submit for eviction, (yeah, we were behind about two and a half months), I did reach out to family as a last resort. I did apply for rental assistance to be denied in the end.

The other family I have with me has refused to help in the past, especially after they got my first car involved in an accident and didn’t accept any responsibility, so I didn’t ask them to help. Can’t rely on them.

The only reason they’re still with me is because of my nieces. I plan on trying to get them out of my apartment as soon as April (she’s pregnant, and he’s on probation.) As much as I love them, the living situation now isn’t good for anyone, and I feel like they are waiting on me to make their lives better. That’s a story for another day.

A family member did connect with me and offer to help me with some of the remaining balance, (will be paying her back ASAP) and as of this Friday, we are officially current (and even a bit ahead) on rent!

I’m proud of the fact that I was able to get this situation handled. Things have been hard for me. I’m still struggling to find my backbone, and to get my ADHD and Bipolar under control. I am not blameless in the situation I put myself in, at all. I am a single, child-free adult who should be doing wonders right now.

But this was a start. I have a lot more growing up to do. It just made me happy that we got it current after months of being behind.

Now, it’s to working on getting other bills paid, and getting other iPad out of the pawn shop for the final time.

Thanks for listening.

My friend has had a tough year. She's been saying some really sad things about herself, and I've been encouraging her to see a psychiatrist. She was really anxious about it, but I'm thrilled to share that she finally decided to seek professional help. She got prescribed meds yesterday, and she says they're making her feel amazing.

I'm really proud of her for taking this step despite her anxiety and depression. My friend's mental health was one of the things that had been worrying me for a while. I feel happy for her and I hope it makes you feel the same way :)