Hello Everyone, This is Chaplain Sung Kim. I am Deputy CMD CH in the 63d Readiness Division. I pray you are well.
Dr Heidi Grant says that no matter how miserable you are feeling at the moment, if you look back, there have surely been events in your life that have made you happy. Maybe the time you bought your first car or the time you received that long-desired promotion.
When good things happen, we feel positive emotions—like excitement, relief, pride, and of course, happiness. These feelings are essential for our well-being.
But the problem is, happiness doesn’t usually last. The excitement of that first car purchase wears off, the thrill of the promotion gives way to the anxiety of handling the responsibilities that came with it.
Psychologists call this phenomenon "Hedonic adaptation." “Hedonic adaptation” is the tendency of us mere humans to quickly return to a relatively stable level of happiness despite major recent positive or negative events or life changes.
People who win the lottery tend to return to roughly their original levels of happiness after the novelty of the win has worn off. The same is true for those who are in major accidents and lose the use of their legs.
No matter what it is that makes you happy, you can get bored of it after a while. This is because of a concept known as “hedonic adaptation.” Simply put, there’s no one thing that will make you happy forever.
Here are 7 Ways to Avoid the Hedonic Adaptation and Increase Your Happiness.
Researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky says that a full 50% of our happiness set-point, her research determined, is due to genetics, while 10% is affected primarily by circumstances like where we were born and to whom. This leaves 40% that is subject to our influence. That is what we can change our happiness.
Psalm 128:2 says, “When you eat the fruit of the labor of your hands, You will be happy and it will go well for you.”
Today’s Prayer: O God, please help me to find rest and happiness within your plan. Make my lips smile longer as I think of moving to an amazing sunlit place. Let me awaken each morning with hope for everything that the world has to offer. Help me so that I can discover peace, prosperity, and happiness in life. Amen.
Have a blessed day! Blood and Fire!
Here is the direct email and phone number for anyone requesting support From the 63d RD Chaplain office,
usarmy.usarc.63-rsc.list.chaplain-all-users@mail.mil
650-526-9668