Is Unhappiness The Secret To Happiness?

Unhappiness is one of the best ways of finding true happiness, according to one of the UK’s leading happiness experts. But the key is overcoming unhappiness and developing resilience.

The findings come from behaviour expert and National Happiness Awards founder Stephanie Davies, who is urging those who have triumphed over adversity to apply for this year’s National Happiness Awards.

Davies, an award winning former stand-up comedian, entrepreneur and behavioural psychologist, explained: “One of the surprising things we’ve noticed since the National Happiness Awards started is that many of those who do so well in creating happiness for others, have gone through some very unhappy experiences.”

Year four

The awards honour the people and places making the world a better place through happiness. They are now in their fourth year. Previous winners include a courageous schoolboy who beat life-threatening cancer; a burlesque dancer who overcame mental health problems and now uses her experience to help others; and a health club manager who supported her team after the tragic death of a colleague.

Britain’s Got Talent finalist Flakefleet Primary School was also a winner last year having impressed judges with the lengths staff went to supporting underprivileged pupils.

Resilience

Davies continued: “A big percentage of winners in the individual categories have coped with difficulties, challenges and periods of unhappiness. This has given them resilience and enabled them to make life happier for others. It seems counter-intuitive, yet to understand what happiness is and create it for yourself and others, you need to know how to deal with unhappiness.”

November 22 ceremony

Other previous winners include Bupa, Burges Salmon, Theodora Children’s Charity and The Outward Bound Trust. Each National Happiness Awards category is judged by an independent panel which includes business experts, HR professionals, education specialists and psychologists.

The nomination period for this year’s National Happiness Awards closed on October 29 with the awards ceremony then organised in double-quick time to be held on November 22 - watch out for the results on ThisWeekinFM.

Picture: The key to happiness is overcoming unhappiness and developing resilience.

Article written by Brian Shillibeer

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