How to live a fulfilled life beyond just chasing happiness - The Washington Post

It can be achieved when you accept who you are, make the most of what you have and are optimistic about the future I recently met with a patient, a man in his late 40s with a soft smile. Minutes into our first session, I learned that his biggest fear was that decades later, he would look back and realize that he had spent his entire life — as he put it — “being sad.” “What are you hoping to get from our time together?” I asked. “I just want to be happy,” he responded. As a psychiatrist, I think about happiness and how to achieve it. And thousands of conversations with patients who are chasing happiness have taught me that it can be a distraction from what’s really necessary for a better life — fulfillment. Patients often come to see me when they are unhappy with their work or personal life. Many see a period of time in their life, such as the day they got married or when they graduated from college, as their template for happiness. “If I could just feel that way again, I would be happy

It can be achieved when you accept who you are, make the most of what you have and are optimistic about the future I recently met with a patient, a man in his late 40s with a soft smile. Minutes into our first session, I learned that his biggest fear was that decades later, he would look back and realize that he had spent his entire life — as he put it — “being sad.” “What are you hoping to get from our time together?” I asked. “I just want to be happy,” he responded. As a psychiatrist, I think about happiness and how to achieve it. And thousands of conversations with patients who are chasing

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