Are you happy?

[Adviceplease8181]

Just wondering. How old are you? How many DCs? Do you work? Is it fulfilling?

44

1 DC (7)

Secondary teacher - love my job. Very fulfilling and intellectually challenging as I enjoy picking up new courses and subjects. Very well paid for a classroom teacher in a great independent school.

Am I happy? Always have the lack of a second child in the back of my head. Feel irrationally resentful and jealous of people with two or more. Precarious relationship with dh. Live in an amazing part of the world - away from my family with no friends. 50% of my time when work is in full swing I rub along happily. The other 50% I am sad because something (many things) are missing to make me feel complete. Usually holidays when I have time to brood.

Nutshell - child and job make me happy, everything else has a could-break-at-any-moment feel about it.

37
2 DC aged 7 and 4
I am a nurse, supposedly part-time, but will be doing about 50hrs this week with night shifts and 13hr days. It is very fulfilling, doing my best to make a difference to people.

Am I happy? Hmmm, that is quite a hard question. I am exhausted with work and DC2 who still wakes up for a while most nights, I am stressed about work and home and trying to have some sort of work life balance, I developed work-related anxiety last year and cry most weeks about it, but I don't think I am really unhappy even though I am struggling with stuff. In the past I have been depressed to the point of contemplating suicide for a long time, so maybe my answer is skewed by the fact that I think I must be happy because I am not actually depressed.

42
1 dc

Dc makes my very happy. I too feel like I should have had another and it makes me a bit sad I didn't

Great part time challenging well paid job. Great friends but no best friends and I wish I was closer to someone. Nice house no money worries no health concerns.

Great relationship with dps but they live far away and I miss them

Relationship with dh is a bit rocky

I am about 80 percent happy most of the time.

I am trying to be mindful which is helpful. At the moment I am drinking a nice coffee watching a robin drink from a bird bath outside my window. The sun is shining and one daffodil has just come out in the flower bed. Dc is eating an omelette and watching pj masks next to me. I am very happy at the moment

@namechanger234 I have just spent 10 minutes watching two long tailed tits eating from one of the feeders - the first time they've appeared. It's just such a relaxing, delightful thing to do isnt it.

@Robin2323 (couldnt be a more appropriate name Thanks for the tip Try half mug of orange juice (no added sugar,) every day. I do use a SAD light and I've been better this year than usual, but its worth trying. Is something like Tropicana juice a carton okay ( not from concentrate) or does it have to be freshly squeezed orange?

46, one high school age DC, blissfully happily married for over fifteen years.

I don’t work due to chronic ill health, but have just applied to volunteer with a local community support project which I’m very excited about.

I'm 54, happily married, 3 grown up DC, work full time in a job I love. Yes, I'm generally happy & satisfied with my life. I know I'm lucky.

27

1

No

No

And no, not happy really.

38 4ds and don't work. I miss work but overall more happy than unhappy but at times I miss how positive I used to be!

Late 60's. Retired. Grown DC.

Live on my own, don't see or speak to family or friends often but am ok with it. Very content with my life, health and my freedom and happy enough. Some days I am very happy, I appreciate what I have daily.

I’m 32 with 2 DS who are 7 and 4. I’m a teacher in an SEN school for children with very complex learning and behavioural needs. It’s a very high stress but very fulfilling job.
I have some significant mental health problems which I now have under control thanks to very intensive therapy, PTSD, OCD amongst others.
Despite this, yes, on a day to day basis I’m happy and look forward to the future. I won’t be having any more children, I love the age my kids are now. I found the baby and toddler stage really difficult. Although DH’s job is under threat due to Brexit, we’re currently financially stable and have nice things when we want them, which isn’t much in my case as I don’t really like ‘stuff’.

This makes me realise how lucky I am that I'm so happy with my life.

I battle with chronic pain and get frustrated with that but I love my husband, my only daughter and my full time but very rewarding job. I'm 36 and find the older I get the happier I am with my lot.

I'd love more sleep, more time and less pain but my overall outlook is very happy. I think the fact that both my husband and I do jobs we love that are secure and are reasonably well paid help enormously and I feel very lucky

31, 2, yes. Am I happy? I am content with frustrated ambitions of wanting more, wish I could live in the moment, I'm usually reminiscing or planning.

How old are you? 45
How many DCs? 4
Do you work? Yes, retrained and have been in this job for 2 years
Is it fulfilling? Very

I am content with life - there are things that could be better and there are times when I feel under pressure/stress but I can almost always see the light at the end of the tunnel. Glass half full.

48
2 - 17 & 19

Work for myself

Incredibly unhappy. I loathe every minute of every day & just think - how did I ever get to this point?

34

1 young daughter, lone parent

My work is stressful, I am a first time manager and it’s the type of job where so much is going on it’s hard to keep on top of everything, know when to get involved and when to back off.

I would be happier if money wasn’t so tight - even though I get a decent wage my £850 rent a month is a huge chunk and then childcare, bills etc take most of the rest. I live off so little to make sure I can buy birthday presents etc but I admit my heart sinks if I get a wedding invite or something because I just can’t afford it which isn’t right.

So I am sort of happy but aspects of life get me down.. it seems to get worse each year though which makes me want to work out a way of combating it.

Yes, I am happy. I have been very lucky.

I have 2 dds 6 and 7yo, we had difficulty conceiving and I still regularly think about how my life would have been if we hadn't managed to have them. I am very grateful to have them.

I've also recently got promoted to a more senior job, which has involved moving off the ward I previously worked, where I sometimes thought the stress of trying to keep everyone safe was making me ill. So I am very grateful for that as well.

Dp is fab and does half the childcare and half the housework, when he is well enough. He does have a chronic illness which is likely to deteriorate, this is probably my biggest worry in life.

Also we can afford an exciting holiday this year which I am really looking forward to.

I think if someone else looked at my.life they wouldn't think it was anything special. But I am very grateful for what I have.

39 with 1 child
Never known happiness.

48, 3 sons, yes, I'm getting there, having therapy for long term depression, happiness to me has always been scary, always waiting for the kick in the teeth to happen, trying to rewire my brain xxx

It's such a joy to see all the little birds.
From our bedroom window we can the visiting blue tits :)

This the orange juice I have been using.
I was very dubious having suffered as far back as I can remember.
But I felt my mood going down
And by mid November I thought what have I got to loose.
The effect was immediate.
The last few months have flew by - especially January which is usually the worse.
Here a pic of the juice I use :)

Thanks for that @Robin2323 - I will give it a go. There's absolutely nothing to lose!
I actually think bird watching (which I only got into in the last year or so) has had a real positive influence on my mental health. If someone had told me 2 years ago I would rather go out for a walk with some binoculars than spend a day clothes shopping I wouldn't have believed them. Dont get me wrong, I still enjoy a bit of retail therapy, but much prefer nature!

46
3DC (12,14&23)
Don't work due to health.
Despite worries over health and imminent major surgery (my fourth) I am happy. Absolute star of a husband of 24 years, no money worries, (I have a trust) nice home in a lovely area and a new car. Except for my health life would be all I ever wanted it to be.

Hi all. I’m OP. Very interesting to read these responses and see the different points we are at in our lives.

39

4DC (age 7, 5, 3, and 7 months)

Not currently working but worked until a year and a half ago in a professional job (part time since first DC). Planning to return to work in 2-3 years, will likely change career.

Pretty happy most of the time. A few things I would change if I could but nothing major, so I'm fairly contented.

Nearly 50

2 teenage children

Yes, very happy and content with my life. Love my DH, he's gorgeous. Our teens are lovely and no trouble. We're all healthy and financially comfortable. My job is a doddle and I work with good friends. Life is good

46
1
Yes
No

I am quite happy, I don't like my job but I do other things that I do like.