Redditors who "went out for cigarettes" and never came back, why did you leave? Where did you go? What is life like for you now? [Serious]

No. If you're pathologically unhappy seek professional help (if you feel empty and don't enjoy any of the things you used to that's depression, not simple unhappiness). If you're within the normal range of unhappy that's something everyone goes through. It helps if you always consider poor circumstances as temporary, don't blame yourself for stuff you don't control, don't blame everyone else for things you can fix, secure enough of a salary that you don't live paycheck to paycheck, and let go of keeping up with the Joneses.

But most importantly, happiness is not something that can ever be given to you. It is a state of being that only exists inside your head. It is no more and no less than a way of perceiving your world positively. Enjoy every piece of food you eat, every drive you take, every song you hear, every person you meet. The thing itself doesn't matter, only the way you feel about it. Driving with the windows down in a Ford feels just as good as it does in a Mercedes. If you believe otherwise you've chosen a very fragile definition of happiness.

I used to tie happiness to my grades, my job evaluations, my salary, whether people liked me, or whether I owned the things I wanted. Those are all terrible bases for happiness. It took a while, and I'll keep working on it for as long as I'm alive, but now I'm happy I'm happy for the friends I have and unconcerned about the ones I don't, happy I did my best on a job regardless of who saw it or acknowledged it, and happy that the wind feels good against my hand when I'm driving my beat up old Toyota. I can finally afford a new car, but buying one wouldn't change my internal state of being, so what's the point? Happiness is a gift I gave myself when I let go. You can and will find happiness, too. Good luck, friend.

/r/AskReddit Thread Parent