Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on PexelsFeelings of pleasure, fullness, or satisfaction are characteristics of the emotional state of happiness. But did you know that happiness comes in a variety of forms? That's correct. The feeling of happiness is not universal.

There are several phases and degrees of happiness, and not all happiness is the same. In this post, I'll discuss the phases of happiness, the five sorts of happiness, and—most importantly—exact steps you can take to make a strategy for your happiness.

5 Types of Happiness

Your life, other people, and the things you have right now may all be more appreciated if you are aware of the sort of happiness you are now feeling. These are the five different sorts of happiness that you might encounter throughout life.

1. Pride

Have you ever successfully finished a difficult project? Or have you ever volunteered for a deserving cause that you support? You undoubtedly felt proud of yourself after these experiences.

A kind of happiness is pride. We often link too competitive unpleasant feelings with pride. But one of the best kinds of enjoyment to enjoy is pride in one's achievements. You might feel proud of your accomplishments in your career, your family, or anything else.

2. Strengthening Connections

Money is often seen as the key to happiness by many people. But in 1938, a team of Harvard academics began a 75-year study in which they monitored 268 male Harvard freshmen.

Surveys and interviews were used in the original Harvard Grant Study to gather information on the lifestyles of the men. They examined every area, including coping mechanisms, relationships, politics and religion, as well as alcohol usage and discovered unexpected outcomes.

The research revealed that "our connections and how happy we are in our relationships has a profound affect on our health," according to psychiatrist and professor Robert Waldinger at Harvard Medical School. Furthermore, he said, "[t]aking care of your body is vital, but taking care of your relationships is also a type of self-care."

According to Waldinger, who made this claim in a 2015 TED Talk, "those who are more socially linked to family, friends, and community are happy. In addition to living longer, they are physically healthier than those with less connections.

George Vaillant, a Harvard psychiatrist and the study's director from 1972 to 2004, says in his book Triumphs of Experience: The Men of the Harvard Grant Study: "There are two foundations of pleasure. One is love. The second is figuring out a method to deal with life without pushing love further away.

Many of the factors that individuals believed to be important to happiness, according to him, are not. For instance, a lot of people think success depends on having money and belonging to a certain social class. On the list, these two items were last.

3. Contentedness

To be content is to be content with one's circumstances, identity, and location. Respecting the present's reality is what it entails. It involves being grateful for what you already have and for where you are in life.

Being content does not imply that one has no desires. Simply put, it indicates that you are content with the way things are right now and have faith in favorable consequences.

Many individuals nowadays believe that life is a competition in which you must always perform at your greatest best. We need a nicer vehicle, a larger home, a higher-paying job, or more money. As soon as we complete one task, the rush to complete the next one begins. Few people ever take the time to unwind, enjoy themselves, and express gratitude for everything they have accomplished.

Positivity and mental calm that come from contentment may encourage development and self-improvement. You still have hopes and desires despite this. You may, however, accept the present while yet hoping for a brighter future.

Being content simply refers to being at peace with the present, not to being complacent.

Therefore, pleasure is promoted by contentment. One allows themselves to feel a certain level of enjoyment when they accept their circumstances. Life is more joyful when you focus on being thankful for everything that you have than than complaining about what you lack.

4. Fun

We don't have to make life all about work just because we're grownups. Many of us in today's fast-paced society put so much emphasis on our job and family responsibilities that we never seem to have time for pure enjoyment. We stopped having fun sometime between being a kid and becoming an adult.

We tend to spend our spare time zoning out in front of the TV or computer rather than doing something enjoyable. Fun may make life more enjoyable, reduce stress, accelerate learning, and bind you to other people and your surroundings.

Positive emotions like enthusiasm, pride, and optimism are brought on by fun, and good sensations, of course.

Almost everyone has interests. Hobbies encourage enjoyment in our life. What we do isn't important as long as it gives us a decent level of enjoyment every day or every week.

It could include cooking, collecting, or athletics. In any case, it's an easy way to liven things up and take a break from the daily grind.

Many people find that traveling is enjoyable. Everything ultimately boils down to having a blast, whether it's seeing new, distinctive cultures, tanning, or skiing.

5. Thankfulness

Gilbert I would contend that thanks are the greatest form of thinking and that gratitude is delight multiplied by amazement, said Keith Chesterton, often known as G.K. Chesterton, an accomplished English writer, poet, and philosopher.

Making the decision to be grateful could be a simple and practical method to increase your happiness. The psychological well-being is also greatly enhanced by gratitude. It boosts our feelings of happiness and optimism while elevating our sense of self.

The deliberate component of constructing happiness is not overlooked by marital and family therapist Dr. Amy E. Keller, PsyD. You are more grateful of what you have when you are pleased and feel that your life has purpose.

"When I discuss happiness with clients, I stress feeling connected and meaningful, as well as building fulfillment and self-worth, in addition to just experiencing pleasure—which is of course also a role! Regarding all of these, gratitude promotes happiness.

Happiness in our lives is supported by cultivating an attitude of thankfulness.

Five Stages of Contentment

The main factors that contribute to happiness fluctuate during a person's life. The things that made us happy when we were five probably won't make us happy at 25, and they change again at 35, 45, and so on.

Understanding your current stage of happiness and the reasons why some events in the past no longer make you happy is crucial.

Stage 1: Initial Contentment

When we are young, we have our first positive experiences. Our delight as newborns is inherent and visible.

Of course, not many people can recall what it was like before humans could speak. On the other hand, children's happy dispositions are obvious.

The normal and natural condition is the manifestation of pleasure, love, and happiness.

Stage 2: Socialized Joy

We start to get socialized the moment we can speak and comprehend the word "NO!" As we develop as children, we learn the laws of our families, schools, communities, and the wider world. We also learn to accept the emotional rewards and penalties associated with those rules.

We experience emotional approbation when we complete activities in the form of compliments and approval. whenever we break the rules. Reprimands and critiques serve as forms of unfavorable emotional feedback.

We develop the ability to evaluate ourselves and think about ourselves in the same ways that others do. Additionally, we learn to feel the same feelings that others felt in response to their criticism and praise.

As a result of receiving criticism from others, we learn to produce and experience the same negative feelings about ourselves.

Stage 3: Conditional Contentment

We no longer need someone to instruct us on what is right and wrong after we have fully socialized ourselves. We have amassed a huge library of laws and have been conditioned to verbal, emotional, and sometimes physical penalties and rewards such that we no longer need outside reminders.

We maintain our adherence to the "shoulds" and avoid the "shouldn'ts"—the prerequisites for our apparent pleasure.

Even in a self-socialized condition, we still take pleasure in being acknowledged or appreciated. When someone is drawn to us and wants to be around us, it makes us feel good. Negative feedback also triggers an emotional response in us. These circumstances determine how happy we are.

Stage 4: Moving Toward Happiness

We are now revolting against socialized ideas and habits, much like the rebellion we experienced as teenagers. We aren't insurrecting against what anyone else says. Our minds are always informing us and teaching us things, yet we are revolting against them. Because our emotions have become reactive, it also differs in that it is a deliberate revolt.

Another distinction is that our mind provides us a lot that is vital, beneficial, and useful, therefore we need to preserve that. However, we want to free ourselves from the critical, self-deprecating ideas that prevent us from freely expressing our love.

In an attempt to banish unfavorable ideas and alter their fundamental beliefs, a person could start practicing mindfulness, yoga, meditation, and self-help literature.

Stage 5: Genuine Happiness

A person can only really feel authentic happiness if they have moved beyond the conditional happiness paradigms they were raised with and are able to express themselves. A young child's delight and freedom are akin to those of this genuine expression.

Joy, appreciation, love, and respect may now be felt without relying on outside cues to do so. It is an internalized attitude, viewpoint, and emotional state that has been cultivated and preserved.

Making a Life Plan for Happiness

One may nurture greater happiness by thoughtful, intentional acts, much as one would follow a recipe for successful cookery.

1. The Growth Mindset

Take on a development mentality that emphasizes living a life you enjoy. It's about having faith that you can succeed and get over obstacles, even if it takes time. Having a growth mindset means you think your abilities will improve with time.

2. Participate

Gaining a feeling of purpose and increasing happiness may both be accomplished via volunteering. It has been shown that volunteering may boost your happiness and sense of success.

3. Find Joy Every Day

Happiness may sometimes be found in the most unassuming, everyday occurrences. You need to make an effort to focus on them and realize that they may help you experience happiness, just as can exercising, taking pleasure in the aroma of your first cup of coffee in the morning, reading for a little while, or working on a task at work that has a good probability of success.

4. Display Gratitude

Writing about what you value is a wonderful method to cultivate pleasure from inside. Your emotional and physical health may benefit from even five minutes of journaling.

5. Turn off all of your devices to disconnect

You may improve your connectedness with others around you by turning off social media, email, and text messaging. And while you're doing it, you'll feel a whole lot better.

6. Try Something New

People are more likely to hold onto more pleasant memories than unpleasant ones if they engage in risky, novel activities and gather unique experiences. We feel lighter the more happy memories we hold on to. Therefore, don't hesitate to enroll in those guitar classes. Plan your vacation to Antigua. For your own satisfaction, carry them out.

7. Self-Love

Self-criticism is counterproductive, so practice loving yourself. But if you're kind to yourself, you'll find that you're more calm, stronger, more productive. Write down any self-defeating thoughts you have the next time you do. You may start to teach yourself not to speak such things in your brain by seeing how damaging they are when they are written down.

8. Quit Apologizing All the Time

According to science, those who don't apologize tend to be happier than those who apologize for their errors. According to study, refusing to apologize increases our feeling of entitlement and authority.

9. Connect With Loved Ones.

Take care of your connections. One of the top five regrets individuals express before passing away is losing connection with friends and relatives.

10. Be Enjoyable!

Live in the now and quit waiting for the ideal occasion; be impulsive and have fun! Take a break, stop waiting for the home to be cleaned, the dog to be walked, and go have fun instead! You're denying yourself the minor joys of life when you believe that real enjoyment only occurs at special events or during scheduled activities.

Final Remarks

Overall, increasing the amount of our favorite things in our lives is all it takes to live a happy existence. If you decide to develop it, you must do it deliberately.

Take action right now to live a happy life and leave a legacy of pleasure.