Imagine walking on the streets and meeting an old friend you haven’t seen in years. You shake hands, ask each other how you’re doing and answer that same question with the well-known sentence: ‘I’m fine, how are you?’ Now imagine this friend of yours is really wise. He or she asks you what it is that makes you feel happy. Are you happy because the sun is shining today? Because you just found some money on the streets? Or are you happy because you ate the best chocolate cake in the world?
Find happiness inside
When you ask yourself what it is that makes you happy, you probably come up with some external factors, like the ones mentioned above. However, if your happiness depends on what’s happening in the outside world, your mood is unstable and switches uncontrollably like the weather.
Happiness is a state of mind, so the source of our happiness must be found… in the mind (surprise)! Since mindfulness focuses on the source of our happiness, it can be incredibly useful to increase our happiness and mental stability.
First of all, being mindful means being aware of the present moment. It helps us to thoroughly appreciate positive events, such as the shining sun, the money you found on the streets and the amazing chocolate cake you ate. The source of your happiness is not the event itself; it’s our ability to be aware of the moment and to enjoy it.
Secondly, mindfulness teaches us to be non-judgmental towards ourselves and others. We will never feel happy all the time, so what matters is our attitude towards inevitable unpleasant events and feelings. A mindful approach would be to not judge ourselves for not feeling well. Beating yourself up for not feeling okay would mean to suffer twice. Instead, we try to accept and observe it.
The Mindfulness Project makes you happy!
If mindfulness increases one’s happiness, does participating in the Mindfulness Project also increase one’s happiness?
Recent studies of the University of Twente show that happiness rates of volunteers at the Mindfulness Project increase after staying there for ten days or longer.* This has to do with the mindful way of living that is promoted at the project through teachings, food blessings, meditation, etc. What influenced the increase of happiness, even more, is being part of the special community at the project. Likeminded people inspire each other to live a mindful life and it’s beautiful to be part of a community that is so eager to learn.
So, the source of happiness can be found in the mind and through the principles of mindfulness, we’re able to increase our happiness and mental stability. Studies have even shown that participating in the Mindfulness Project for just ten days already has an effect on one’s happiness!
Now again imagine walking on the streets and meeting an old friend you haven’t seen in years. You shake hands, ask each other how you’re doing and answer that same question with the well-known sentence: ‘I’m fine, how are you?’ But maybe you were the wise friend all along. Maybe you’re the one that asks them what the source of their happiness is. Maybe it’s you who inspires them to live a mindful life, just like the members of the community at the Mindfulness Project inspire each other.
*Based on an explorative study written by Marietta Vogel, at the University of Maastricht in 2019, more fundamental academic research is still needed on the topic.