Glad you're taking this study break! Breaks are needed during these troubling times. Goodness, if exams and papers haven't sucked the life out of you yet, I applaud you. For those of you thinking about dropping out of school to try becoming instafamous, you might find this article uplifting!

Some of you may have already guessed that I'm a huge follower of Positive Psychology.

Friends, Positive Psychology is the absolute best! If you don't know much about it, hear me out. Psychology is the sh!t but it can be discouraging because most theories focus on people's discrepancies and how to avoid them. Not Positive Psych!

Positive Psychology was created by Martin Seligman and shines a spotlight on people's strengths rather than weakness. It studies how humans and communities use their capabilities to build better lives. It promotes well-being and its goal is to help people attain and maintain this wellness. Basically, it's all about the human becoming HAPPY. Isn't that what everyone's ultimate goal is? That's probably why most of us are studying our asses off, as well. Or is it?

To be 100% honest, most of us are probably working so hard in our jobs, classes, internships, etc. for either money, status, or fame (or maybe you're trying to achieve all three). There's nothing wrong with striving for these goals. However, they're called extrinsic goals for a reason: they don't make you truly happy.

Now, I'm not saying that money can't buy you happiness. If you're someone who struggles to meet basic needs like food and shelter, then winning a million dollars is going make you EXTREMELY happy. However, if you're someone who already has their basic needs met, even winning $40 million won't make you internally happy. You'll definitely be elated at first, but the satisfaction doesn't last. This phenomenon is called the Hedonic Treadmill.

This is the tendency of people to return to a stable state of contentment no matter what changes happen in their life. Sorry to break it to you, but money, youth, materialistic things, fame, and/or status won't keep you gratified forever. In fact, people who do strive for such things report lower states of life satisfaction than those who don't.

So then, what is it that makes a person happy?

Having a sense of community, acts of kindness, social connection, and meaningful activity can make you intrinsically delighted. (I know that this sounds cheesy but I sat through a documentary and whole lecture about this in my Children and the Media course. Trust me this is real.) People aren't meant to be alone.
It's not healthy to be constantly dependent on someone, but having a group of friends that you can talk to, or a support group in which you feel accepted, is crucial for your life satisfaction.

In addition, giving back to the world by helping a stranger or making someone else feel good by complimenting them raises your levels of dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter that makes you feel gratified. These two things will significantly affect your life satisfaction. However, perceiving a sense of meaning is EXTREMELY important.

Studies show that having a regular state of "flow" in which you concentrate on an activity and feel accomplished by doing does affect your well-being immensely. So, when people say "FOLLOW YOUR PASSION," it's good advice. Doing something meaningful tends to give meaning to your life. I'm sure that this something many people struggle with.

Alright, what's the point of all this?

The point I'm trying to get across is DON'T STRESS TOO MUCH. (Wow. I'm a hypocrite because I stress all the time.) Seriously though, whatever battle you're fighting right now, whether it's finding a job, cramming for an exam, training for a marathon, etc., make sure you're doing it for the right reasons. The last thing I want for anyone is for them to put their time and energy into something that won't bring them bliss in the end.