Happiness

This is a personal essay written by the author, sharing their individual journey and experiences. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this piece belong solely to the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MyndStories. This essay has not been professionally vetted or reviewed for clinical accuracy. Have you heard the saying, “Don’t...

Soul Musings is a weekly or twice-weekly column by Smitha Murthy, the co-founder of MyndStories. These reflections are tiny snippets from her life, vulnerable and intimate, inviting you to pause and reflect with her. What does it mean to truly hold space for yourself? This question has bothered me all year. I tend to operate...

Random acts of kindness have the potential to make the world a happier place. Kindness lights us up, filling us with warm fuzzy feelings we often relate to well-being and happiness. A study published in the American Psychological Association suggests that such acts of kindness aren’t just altruistic, they also improve our mental health and...

What constitutes happiness? Healthy relationships? Opportunities for growth? Good mental health? According to a new study, Mizoram seems to have all these and more making it the happiest state in India. The 'India Happiness Report' is the first-ever study of its kind and studied happiness levels across the 36 states and union territories in India....

We all aspire to become something in our lives and have our own set of goals and desires. But a common thing that we all look for is happiness. The definition of happiness can be highly subjective and therefore different individuals tend to have different definitions of the same. To some, traveling and exploring new...

I am a reluctant podcast host. I really don't feel I have the right voice, tone, inflection, or whatever is required to create a voiced presence online. I try to have these podcasts still because I believe it's important to try things in life that you may not necessarily think you are good for but...

“My boss didn’t like my presentation. They must believe I am incapable of doing my work. They must believe I am terrible and incompetent.” Sounds familiar? Criticism, such as the one in the above example, is often simply a reflection of the work, not the person. And yet, how many of us can separate the...

‘Word by Word’ is a fortnightly column by Garima Behal on learning to ride the highs and lows of everyday life The one thing I think about the most as an adult is how not to be sad. Which automatically means I think a lot about happiness. I’ve lost count of the number of times...

It’s not just your family and friends, but strangers too can make you happy. It’s well established that humans are social creatures, and we can be happy when we indulge in a variety of activities and experiences. A recent study explores whether interacting with more people, and the increased frequency of diverse social interactions had...

“Happiness should be the goal of life." "Happiness is a journey and not a destination.” At some point or another, we all have heard these dialogs. But what is happiness? Is it a goal or a journey? And how can we achieve it? From ancient Greek philosophers to psychologists today, everyone has tried to define...

“Mann khush hai toh sab khush hai (If your mind is happy, everything is fine)," says 90-year-old Jwala Prasad. Jwala should know, having seen almost a century of life. He migrated from Haryana to Delhi to build a better life for his family. With 4 children and 5 grandchildren, he spent more than 50 years...

Senior lawyer. Mother. Gender Rights Activist. Advocate for Mental Health. Compassionate leader. Pink Elephants’ Ambassador. LinkedIn's Top Voice in Gender Equality. These are just some titles that describe Niti Nadarajah. Living in Australia since the age of 6, Niti grew up with the belief that education and financial stability are everything. Fulfilling her aspirations, she...

Imagine a vacation with a therapist. Well, if you ask Prachi Vaish, you may not have to imagine that because she’s organizing precisely that. Prachi is a trauma-trained therapist, mindful dating coach, and the co-founder of the Emotional Wellness Initiatives. With more than 17 years of therapy experience behind her, Prachi knows something about the...

As the founder of a pet-care company, I've seen up close the impact our pets have in shaping our lives. Both in my own life and the lives of countless pet parents I've met in my entrepreneurial journey. Every pet I've had, whether it be a cat, dog, fish, and once even a turtle (which...

The key to happiness may lie in what you eat. New research from the Universities of Kent and Reading in the UK has, for the first time, established that eating more fruits and vegetables, and exercising regularly can make you happier. In a paper published in the ‘Journal of Happiness Studies’, researchers demonstrated that the...