Happiness is NOT at the Mall

Lifesong Yoga founder and instructor Kathryn Downton warns against the pitfalls of looking to consumer goods as sources of happiness. Too often, Westerners look “externally rather than dealing with inner stress” when approaching the root of our unhappiness. This is what motivates us to go to the mall or shop online. Maybe instead of that closet organizer, we should be dealing with the “mess” that lies inside?
 
Downton explains that changing external factors will ultimately do little for our internal selves. She looks to Eastern philosophy to say it best: “We can’t control what happens to us but we can control how we react.” This refers to the two-part “cycle of suffering,” the events that happen and our interpretations of those events.
 
It is important to take care of yourself and your emotions, whether that means doing yoga, thinking about the day while taking a bubble bath, writing in a journal or exercising. Always look inwards, no matter how difficult this may be. [Dailygleaner.com]