How often do you feel overwhelmingly happy?

[thereoncewaslove]

I feel overwhelmingly happy/content very frequently lately. Nothing has really changed and my life isn't perfect, I'm still at uni, I still have a while to go before I'm in the job I want to be in but I'm pretty happy with my lot at the moment.

There's been other times in my life where I should have felt that happy/content way, in a happy relationship, just had child, getting promoted at work etc but for some reason then I always felt like something was missing.

But recently I just feel very at peace. Today I have lay in bed and watched films, chatted on the phone and I was just making a coffee there and I have this warm content happiness feeling in my stomach, it's always like a glow. And it got me thinking that I'm experiencing this quite a lot recently out of nowhere.

I spent a lot of my teens and my early twenties not very happy at all and I don't know if it's now that I'm turning 30 that things that used to upset me don't seem as important anymore. It's a lovely feeling and I wish I could bottle it up when going through bad times.

Does anyone else get this feeling? Can you explain it? How often do you experience it?

Never.
I would settle to feel ”just” happy, but universe says ”NOPE”.

Most times I let my dog of his lead and he just runs off looking joyful-that makes me happy and if you add in a beautiful day and surroundings I do feel overwhelmingly happy (until he finds something to roll in or whatever)
Running through beautiful scenery also does it for me-especially downhill
And, like a previous poster said, my children are having a rare moment of getting on and playing freely.
Having a glass of wine in the sun with friends
Getting into bed with a book after a hot shower and having had a busy day

There is a LOT of angst, moodiness and frustration between these times but I’d say I have moments of happiness everyday and am lucky enough to get the overwhelming happy feeling once a week or so.

I don't think I've ever been overwhelmed by happiness, or any emotion. I find it very easy to keep a lid on things.

Walking my sibling’s dog and being sat on/laid on and greeted enthusiastically by said dog.

She lights up my world and she reminds me that I can be happy every day.

Most of the time I’m just glorying on but that beastie is joy on paws.

Very often since I met my husband snd had my kids
Now since I've been fired from my toxic job pretty much everyday

Feel like that most of the time now!
From my 20s to mid 30s I had everything (job, friends, flat, boyfriend, you name it) but like you felt like something was missing, but was unable to put my finger on it.

I made some changes in my life, up to the point that I'm now perfectly, overwhelmingly happy.
From an external perspective, I have less than before. But what I have is a formidable feeling of being aligned with myself and my values, meaningful life goals and the drive to achieve them.
My goals are not to make me happy. It's not like "I'll be happy when I'd have achieved this or that" but rather "I know why I get up in the morning and appreciate feeling 1% better than yesterday".

The last time was 13 years ago when I had my first daughter. Just joy.
She still makes me happy but the other unhappinesses dampen it.

I haven’t felt that way in years.

I have moments of it!

Key times would be either when I am in bed cuddling my partner in the morning when we don’t have to get up for work, or when I am out walking in the countryside with my daughter in lovely weather and she is making me laugh (she is the funniest person I have ever met).

Maybe I feel it once a week, or something? At other times I can feel quite stressed and pressured.....

Yes, I get that lovely contented glow you describe, quite often. It's usually when my husband and children are all together and everyone is chatting or playing/laughing and there is no discord at all. I just feel so lucky in moments like those.

When I had mania!!!

@KateKeeper

Very contented in my 50s here. I work on having gratitude for what I have - a good relationship with the people who are important to me, a handful of friends, reasonably good health and a job that fulfils my values. We are not wealthy but we have everything we need. I consider myself extremely fortunate, and I wish the same for everyone.

I would say my take is similar. I am 55 and feel the same way. About once a week I will have this lovely warm feeling of happiness overwhelm me, usually when I am doing nothing in particular - just sitting with the cat and a cup of tea, reading my book.

I've been feeling so happy recently. But in March I felt overwhelmingly unhappy. Nothing has changed except we are out of lockdown so I guess that seeing family and friends and being able to swim etc makes a huge difference to my state of mind...

I felt really happy and content on Saturday. We weren't doing anything special, we were just in the village getting some bits.
DW suggested getting a Costa and sitting in the park. Then we walked past the chippy and got some chips and it was just a lovely spur of the moment lunch, in the sun and everyone was in a good mood.

@rothbury I think we would be friends irl!

I don't think I've ever felt that. Certainly not as an adult. I'm too anxious.

I’m always a happy person, generally happy outlook. But the past year I’ve seen so much sadness in my job that I’m now so grateful just in the small things. I get an overwhelming feeling of contentment when the kids are in bed and I look out the window just as it gets dark. Life is tough, everyone deserves happiness.

Yes fairly often and like you over small things, a beautiful view or after a lovely meal or in finishing a really good book or film.

Sometimes I get this weird contented feeling even when i know I should be worrying about something. Any red dwarf fans might recognise the positive virus episode - when life is shit but you feel good for no apparent reason ( radio dj's from the late 20th century suffered from it all the time 😂)

Never. Dp and my kids make me happy of course but life in general is overshadowed with health, mental health, financial and housing problems. Most of these have no way of being improved so there is nothing to look forward to.

Last time was today. The bloke and I walked the dog in the sunshine, there’s blossom and new life everywhere. It just felt glorious to be alive.

Never I don't think. I'm on quite a high dose of antidepressants though which tend to flatten my emotions.

Yeah, very occasionally get that feeling, usually right before something bad happens and everything turns to shit.

One time, I was sat there doing my craft hobby and felt that blissed out relaxed contentment...husband came home and told me he was fucking someone else.

Another time, settled down at the PC to do a work task I Ioved, again blissed out relaxed and feeling all was right with the world...ten minutes into work and phone goes... beloved brother dying of cancer.

Lying in bath, same feeling...DH's batshit twisted obsessed sister who wants "to be with him" (yeah, that way...gross) starts banging on the door trying to get to him after previously staying away for years having been told to fuck off by him.

Just three examples.

I don't trust "happy" these days.

About once a week, usually when I'm walking home from work listening to music and thinking about my life. My life isn't a desirable one to most people but I'm incredibly happy with it. I've got happier with age.

I feel overwhelmed by happiness as though I had taken some euphoria drug about once every three years, which is about how often circumstances turn out absolutely perfectly. But I feel happy often.

I usually feel like that most of the time. This last lockdown was different, I found that really difficult. Since the weather improved and we've been able to get out and about it's come back a lot more.

It's the little things that trigger it, a family meal where the teens are on form and chatty, sitting on the park in the sun, when the cat does 'cute paws', watching something good on Netflix with dh etc etc