Happiness is: Having Traditions to Look Forward To

One of the things I’ve become particularly interested in over the last several years is how to find moments of happiness and joy in spite of life’s challenges, curveballs, and even traumatic situations.

It can be so easy to convince ourselves that happiness can only be found when everything is going well in life, when we have everything we could need or want, and we are perfectly content with no issues.

But when does that ever really happen? And if it does, how long does it last?

The way I see it, the real flex isn’t creating a life with no problems, but it’s having the ability to create pockets of joy despite what is going on around us.

And that is what this “Happiness is” Series is all about.

For many years, one of my own personal happiness practices has been leaning into traditions.

Traditions are activities that we repeat year after year, they’re things that can be passed down from generation to generation, things that connect us both with our loved ones and the passing of time.

Our culture underestimates the power of traditions.

We’ve grossly minimized the importance of things like traditions, rites of passage, and ceremonies, and to a large extent, I think this is a contributing factor to the rates of depression, anxiety, and sense of isolation and disconnection in our modern world.

Because no matter how big or small they are, traditions give us something to look forward to. They’re bright spots in otherwise dark or difficult times.

Traditions can be as simple as baking a batch of cookies with your grandma’s recipe, watching your favorite holiday movie, or going to the same seasonal festival year after year.

It’s something reliable that you can count on, something that connects you to years past and the years ahead.

If you’re going through a dark night of the soul or just a really difficult period in your life, traditions may just be an anchor into a moment of joy that you desperately need to remind you that life is more than a sum of its challenges.

Traditions also help us savor the moment.

They help us sink into the present and temporarily cast our worries aside in favor of being with what is happening right now.

It doesn’t mean that everything is suddenly fixed or perfect or that we’re glossing over the problems, it just means that we are making a conscious choice to be here now and appreciate a moment of peace and joy.

And finally, traditions also create beautiful memories, ones that we can look back on and find a sense of joy in during future hard moments.

As a trained therapist and coach, I can tell you that those who have the ability to recall and enjoy positive memories are better able to regulate their mood and their outlook on life when things get tough.

Sometimes we need the little things to help us get through the bigger stuff.

So, if you’re looking to find more happiness and joy in your life, start, revive, or participate in more traditions.

You might just be surprised at how powerful they can be.