What is happiness?

One of our student’s families just moved to Vietnam in August. They were just settling into life in Vietnam and then, here comes this pandemic. Could they still find happiness in a situation like this? Let’s read the response from Jenny Mitchell, VFIS Parent.

Happiness is never just handed to us. Happiness is a choice that we have to make everyday. 

There will always be circumstances and situations in our lives that will cause us to look at the negative. It has never been more evident than what is going on in the world today. It is so easy to give our attention to things that make us unhappy. 

But we must not give ourselves completely over to them. We must acknowledge our feelings and the situations that cause those feelings and then we must choose to move on from them. We must make a choice to give our time and energy and thoughts to what will enhance the good that is in our lives. There is always good lurking in the background of the bad times. We just must choose to find and see it.

This can be very difficult to do in practice. But it can be done! One of the ways that my family and I have done this is to concentrate on what we are grateful for. 

Every morning I write down a list of what I am grateful for, from the small to the big. For example, coffee is always on my list, and of course my family, our home, and our health.  Then I take one of the things I am grateful for and post about it on Facebook. By sharing something positive I hope it will encourage others to think about what they are grateful for as well.
 
In the evenings, before my daughter goes to bed, we as a family, each share three things we are grateful for that day. It ends the day with an attitude of thankfulness and brings our minds to what really matters and alleviates anxiety.

So on the International Day of Happiness this year, make the choice to be grateful and find the happy things in your day.

Ms. Jenny Mitchell, VFIS parent