Often it seems like you're just coasting through life, but are you really? When you're running the marathon of life, you'll get tired or doubtful of yourself at some point. We lose sight of one of life's most important things: happiness, when we lose contact with our real, genuine self. But it's likely you haven't checked in with yourself in a while.
Let’s check if you are truly happy or not?
You're always attempting to be overly busy.
Do you ever feel like your days are just a list of to-dos and projects, rather than a new chance to get closer to your objectives? Maybe you're still on the lookout for the next thing to cross off your to-do list, with little time to relax. Take a step back and consider it for a minute. What do you like to be your top priorities? Do you devote enough time to recognizing and resolving your emotional and physical needs and concerns? People who are trying to remain excessively busy in order to achieve pleasure or fulfillment in their lives are doing so subconsciously (even things that are not necessarily important at the moment). This is because you're trying to find a way out of reality, a way to avoid facing your worries and feelings of unhappiness. You use efficiency as a measure of success when you don't feel like you have anything to live for (whether you openly accept the feeling in your mind or not). We are a society that believes that if we keep ourselves busy enough, the reality of our lives will not catch up with us. Your self-worth is determined by your busyness, which is used as a coping mechanism for underlying problems.
Addictive Behaviors are a part of your life.
Addictive behaviors may be a significant predictor of hidden unhappiness. The first things that come to mind when you hear the word addiction are most definitely narcotics, alcohol, and smoking, also known as substance addiction. Addictive habits, on the other hand, come in all shapes and sizes. The desire to continue doing something even though it has a detrimental effect on one's ability to stay emotionally and/or physically stable and functional in the home and community. Binge-eating your favorite foods (usually unhealthy foods), sleeping too much, or even heavy shopping and social media use may all be signs of addiction. And, get this, the previous sign of keeping yourself occupied is also a type of addictive behavior used to avoid reality.
You make an excessive effort to demonstrate how “great” your life is to others.
This sign would be more visible if you use social media. Someone's excessively ecstatic and bubbly online messages or stories aren't really an accurate indicator of their emotional well-being. As compared to those who spend less time on social media, heavy users are much more likely to be lonely and dissatisfied. You may be overcompensating for your disappointment and lack of enjoyment in life by showing to others that you are doing and feeling better than you have in the past. However, you have a residual feeling of emptiness in your heart.
You begin to disregard self-care.
When was the last time you took a day for yourself? Or even just an hour to yourself to attend to your needs and nourish your soul? One of the most telling signs that someone is struggling to find true happiness in their life is neglecting self-care. Self-care, contrary to popular belief, is not a luxury or an indulgence; it is a necessity and the only thing that can really help you reconnect with yourself. When you're profoundly depressed, the first thing that begins to fall away from you is self-care. This is most likely due to the fact that it needs you to take a break and step back while you're most likely on the lookout for the next thing to keep you occupied. Running away from self-care prevents you from facing your unexplainable sense of contentment.
You have unrealistic expectations of yourself.
Unhappiness comes with a side of feeling like you're not good enough and the classic, self-doubt, which most people do without understanding it. This is also most likely because your mind is subconsciously searching for a purpose to keep pursuing and conquering your goals. However, the issue occurs when you become hyper-aware of your shortcomings and feel inferior simply because they exist.
You are experiencing physical discomfort and/or pain.
Your body tries to give you messages first when you don't know a feeling of unhappiness within you. Our bodies are hardworking devices that have been designed to keep us safe. When you don't do your part to support your body, it will speak up in its own way, and you won't be able to hide from the reality. Mood fluctuations with irritability and agitation (typically over more seemingly trivial issues), decreased appetite/increased appetite, sleep problems, back pains, headaches, and exhaustion are some of the symptoms. These are only a few examples of how your body and mind are alerting you to the fact that something is wrong and needs to be addressed. If you're having one or more of the symptoms mentioned above for an extended period of time, it's a good idea to seek professional support from a medical or psychological professional.
There will always be ups and downs in life, but a lingering, unexplainable sense of drabness during both highs and lows should be cause for concern.
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