Jasmine A
Happy?
To be happy. This video is dedicated to the pursuit of happiness. Whether it is through your friends, your hobby or your work or most importantly through yourself. Finding this happiness is so essential for a well balanced and healthy life, and everybody should do everything they can in order to lead a happy lifestyle.
This video was shot and recorded around my trip to the Netherlands Germany and the united kingdom. After living in the beautiful city of Manchester for a year, I was keen to return and not only visit the beautiful sites but to catch up with the lifelong friends that I made on my adventures. I missed them badly and wanted to reunite as soon as I could. So I got a job and worked to raise enough money in order to go on this trip. Within the 6 months that I was waiting to return, I suffered greatly from reverse culture shock, from an intense course load, and the added pressure of a 20+ hour job. I had always been an optimistic and happy person, but in those 6 months, I found myself falling into darkness. It was scary. I had never experienced episodic depression, and my anxiety had never reached its peak. I went from experiencing a full years of positive first times, to a full 6 months of negative first times. I was scared. I had lost myself and didn't know how to get it back.
In that state of mind, all I wanted to do was leave, to escape, to literally run away. Back to England, back to home, back to where I was safe, where I was me, and I was proud to be who I am. Back to where I was happy.
To my surprise, my retreat away to Europe did not fix my problems. I was in Amsterdam - the party capital of the world, the cream of the crop, where everyone goes for a good time - with my best mates - who I had missed so desperately and wanted to see - and I was so unhappy. I was so scared. I thought to myself 'how can I be unhappy HERE in AMSTERDAM with my FRIENDS?'
I came to a meaningful conclusion. It is not the place/location that makes you happy. It is not the external factors that add up to and amount to happiness. ""Happiness is from within"" The only place to find happiness is from yourself. You cant find it in Amsterdam or England or Europe or new york. It is you that can make it possible.
That is terrifying. How can I find happiness within myself when I am so miserable? What can I do?
In my situation, I had to let go. I had to take time for myself. To think, and to coup with being back in the US. I took less intensive courses and tried to lessen my work hours, I took up therapy and most importantly. It thought me to take time to self-reflect and think about how I was feeling; at that moment, in general, and as a whole.
While my travels in Amsterdam Dusseldorf and Manchester didn't fix my issues right away, the lessons that I learned about making time for yourself, relaxing and enjoying life helped me find happiness again. It did not happen overnight, but I am getting better and better every day.
If you are also not happy, all I can say that it shall pass. However, you have to work hard to let it pass. By clearing the highways with access clutter - by clearing your mind - By making sure your car's tank is full of gas - by maintaining a healthy lifestyle - eating right, sleeping tight - and by going at a steady speed and not stopping in your journey. ;)
I hope this video has at least brought some joy in your life. It definitely did to mine
Best,
JasmineA
