Is anyone happy these days?

[Liuckle]

It feels like people were happier in the 90s for example. I miss hope and positivity

I know what you mean OP. I was in my 20s in the 90s and it felt like a much happier time. Taken as a whole it felt like things were improving across the world - end of the Cold War, before the 'war on terror', end of apartheid, rise of New Labour. Of course there were problems but somehow they felt more manageable and there a sense that progress was being made.

I miss that feeling of optimism too.

?? Massive home repossessions in 90s.
Everything is cyclical.
I'm happy.

I do think hope and positivity are lacking but I still see plenty of happiness around me.

It's hardest when you're the one shouldering the burden. Is there any way you can take your mind off it for a while each day?

I'm actually quite happy and positive
But I sense more negativity around me

I’m happy. Retired from full time work at 60, and part time at 64. Fairly healthy, long marriage, hard working DC, grandchildren who are great! Could do with a bit more money, but otherwise life is good. I volunteer, see friends and family, and I really enjoyvthus period of my life!

I blame the media to be honest. I think they have a competitive misery/hysteria thing going on and it permeates through all of us. Many people I know have stopped watching and reading news which is positive in some ways (for the individual) but concerning in others (for society as a whole)

The dawn of New Labour did bring hope after the destruction of the Thatcher years, but that was late 90s.
Major just ticked things over in a relatively nondescript way, although he offered a period of economic growth (apart from Black Wednesday) and took us towards Europe and initiated the peace negotiations in NI. He was a relatively safe pair of hands, and that built trust.

I am happy but I am fortunate. I look around me at increased poverty, increased crime, decimated public services, a hedonistic culture led by a recent PM, a growth in hatred and divisions and think we are getting some things very, very wrong. The impact on the many is dreadful.
The trouble is the more the poor are forced deeper into poverty, the more they are denied reasonable quality of life, the more the cracks in society appear. More people vote to look after their little stockpile, blaming the poorest for being poor. That plays to the political manipulators who know this will put the culprits back into power to wreak more havoc and render hope and joy asunder.

I am not happy at all

I’m happy, always have been. I’m very lucky. I’ll be honest, I don’t really understand the anxiety issues that are spoken about today. It wasn’t like that in the 90s (not that we had no problems!). Maybe, I’ve just never had anxiety...

'things can only get better' was Tony Blair's song wasn't it? What would it be now 😂

I'm quite happy now actually @Liuckle Two adult children mid 20s who have left home, married almost 30 years, got a house with no mortgage, a part time job only 18 hours a week (work from home.) Small extended family, no elderly parents left to look after (mine and DH's all died 15-18 years ago.) Going to retire at 60, And DH is going to retire at 60 as well.

Have done plenty that I want with my life.... Travelled to about 20 countries, have plenty of skills..... driving, cycling, swimming, cooking, baking, can speak 3 languages, and play 2 musical instruments, have a lovely circle of close friends and a nice social life, live in a beautiful rural area near the river and the canal and the woodlands. Happy with how I look, and have lots of lovely hobbies.

Been through some really dark times. Particularly 12 to 18 years ago when me and DH were struggling financially with two kids and ailing and sick parents.. and stressful jobs. The last maybe ten years are my happiest and most comfortable time since the 1980s - I loved the 1980s when I was a teenager. I did enjoy the late 1990s/early noughties when my kids were primary school age.

So, I'm quite happy now, BUT understand a lot people are not with the cost of living crisis. Fortunately, because we've got quite a small home, and no mortgage, and it's easy to heat, and we have very low outgoings .... so we're really not feeling it much. It's all relative.

Weren’t we in a recession and housing crash in the 1990s? Negative equity, record home repossessions etc.

I'm happy ish

I'm clinically depressed. On the edge.
Haven't been happy in years. The only things that's stopping me from ending it are my son and dogs.

Between abusive relationships, ill health, mental illness and being poor .... nothing much to be happy for.

The 90s was happy alot of the time. Probably the raves and the Es.

what goes up must come down though

I have consecutive days of feeling really happy after almost going on anti depressants last year.

But lately I've been feeling low. Despite thinking I has a good salary I've been worrying about money a lot and im feeling the squeeze. I'm taking a donation to the food bank this week as well. Went to a lovely seaside town last weekend and two lovely community hubs were boarded up - quick look on their social media cited rising costs 🙁 it's hard.

Well of course, it was a simple happy existence. We had no way of knowing how modern technology was going to decimate that.

I'm happy. I have a demanding but interesting job and I like my colleagues very much.
Not too much longer to go on the mortgage. Kids are doing fine. I have my parents and they're mostly fine.
My marriage failed romantically but we are good co-parents, still have a laugh together and don't take too much interest in each other's private lives (and I don't have to deal with the snoring any more, which is bliss)
so yeah I'm happy

I'm happy.
I think happiness is often found in the way you look at things though - the 'glass half full / half empty' effect.
I mean, obviously some people have horrific things happen, and we can all understand their distress, sadness or despair, but for most of the population we all go through ups and downs in our lives and you have to learn to look for the positives. If you can do that, it makes your own life much happier.

I’m happy. My life isn’t brilliant compared to some but I count my blessings.

Me, I’m happy. I have a lovely house in an attractive area of London, no money problems, family are all healthy, my man is a good man, I sleep well at night, still look good in just what my mother gave me and I love my job.

Yeah, life is good. Doesn’t mean I’m blind to the problems and challenges others face. I see that, in the most extreme way, in my job.

I was happy in the 90s. I entered my teenage years in the mid 90s, the music was great and my mum was still here. Fast forward a decade and everything changed - the most painful loss I could've imagined. I was miserable for many years. I spent my 20s drunk, living a chaotic life and angry. Fast forward another 2 decades, losing many loved ones, meeting new people, having ups and downs, and I'm happy again.

Whilst the world is a total shit place at the moment, and I'm painfully aware of the suffering that people have to endure, I can say that I'm happy. I work in a job I love, I'm with the person I want to spend the rest of my life with, we are solvent, and all those loved ones I've lost, whilst I felt I lost them far too soon, 'naturally' they would've gone before me anyway.

I'm aware that anything could go wrong and change my life instantly though, and so I'm happy that at this moment in time, I'm doing alright. Total cliché.

I hope you can find something to feel happy about OP.

I remember people were less easily offended, less harshly judgmental, less aggressive, less hate groups, less rigid and authoritarian, more relaxed, more humour, more acceptance, a focus on inclusivity based on genuine caring rather than a compliance to the rules of political correctness, more hope for the ability of people to work together to overcome issues such as climate change.

I remember a greater sense of freedom and autonomy. I remember when that started to decline. And it coincided with the terrorist attacks on the twin towers in America. I remember that as a turning point in history. I am based in Australia and it changed things all the way in our part of the world. There was a big response by our government to convince us that we were in danger and that measures would have to take place to protect us. And it took us from a relaxed lifestyle to a life of being hyper vigilant against danger and threats.

I think there are many other contributing factors too. One of them is feeling like we have very little ability to actually make the world a better place. A sense that the future is doomed and we are powerless to do anything. The awful reality that things have gotten so bad that we can’t even get a doctors appointment when we need it and are sick.

So, much has happened that is beyond our control for example terrorism, pandemic, lockdowns, climate change, lack of basics such as medical care, foods and other necessities being unavailable. This creates anxiety and discontent and snowballs into bigger negative feelings and mistrust.

Idk I was born in the mid 90s and as far back as I remember everything's just recession after recession, austerity, the NHS is crumbling, terror attacks, war, war, war, poverty, more recession.

My life is pretty good but my God it's like the government and the UK has been in a debt and poverty spiral since I was very young.