"I isolated myself even when I was present. I became really good at hiding what was going on in my head. I pretended to be happy, mostly because I didn’t want anyone to know I wasn’t. And I knew it wasn’t anything that anyone else was doing, I just felt so unfulfilled."| Tracking Happiness
"I was referred to a psychiatrist and he told me that I was experiencing clinical depression and advised me to do a lot of walking to avoid medicines. But my condition did not improve, and therefore I was put on fluoxetine during my 7th month of pregnancy and admitted to the hospital for a month."| Tracking Happiness
When we fail to self-reflect on our lives, we learn less from the experiences in our lives. Here are 7 ways to practice self-reflection.| Tracking Happiness
"I constantly compared my body to everyone else's. And I viewed my perfectly healthy body as “bad” and not good enough. I was self-conscious of what I wore and always strived to wear clothes that hid my insecurities. I didn’t allow myself to wear clothes I loved because they highlighted a perceived flaw in my body."| Tracking Happiness
"I worked so much that my mental health and drinking spiraled out of control. I had no other coping mechanisms for stress. I have never developed healthy habits and didn’t think I had time to start because the business was experiencing explosive growth. I just wasn’t willing to stop and deal with it. Big mistake."| Tracking Happiness
"My dad passed away in 2015 and binge eating became a bigger crutch and problems began to arise. I found myself unable to stop eating until my stomach was so full it hurt and my body ached. I’d lie down and wish the over-full feeling would stop."| Tracking Happiness
"We were going to “take it easy” and eat around 800 to 1200 calories a day to get started. That did not work for me. I wanted to be “the best” at this diet. I would start at 800 calories a day, then think “well, why not 500? Why not 400? Why not 300?” until I was eating nothing every day."| Tracking Happiness
Weekly video podcasts, 150+ case studies, 500+ actionable articles, weekly newsletters, and free resources. Join thousands of others.| Tracking Happiness
Can't seem to find your purpose in life? Here are 7 examples of other people's purposes in life, to help you find yours!| Tracking Happiness
How can you start the habit of keeping a self-care journal in your life? Here are 6 simple ideas to make a self-care journal!| Tracking Happiness
"In those times, I became a master of disguise, adept at hiding the turmoil beneath a veneer of composure. To the outside world, I appeared to be navigating life with ease, but inside, there was a cacophony of emotions I kept tightly guarded. It was a delicate dance of maintaining appearances while wrestling with an internal chaos that threatened to spill over at any moment."| Tracking Happiness
Here's an unpopular opinion: you should reconsider going to therapy. This article explains why, and how therapy can make you happier. Yes, even you!| Tracking Happiness
"My struggles with unworthiness came from deep childhood wounds which stemmed from generational trauma on both sides of my family. I grew up in a multicultural home—one parent a Colorado native with UK roots and an immigrant father from Algeria. From a young age, I felt very different from my peers because of my unique cultural background."| Tracking Happiness
"I’ve always been good at putting on a brave face, especially at work-related events, so most people had no idea I was struggling. But inside, the anxiety would build up, and I often felt so overwhelmed that I had to leave early or run out after only a short time. Eventually, my anxiety reached a point where I’d either cancel last minute or break down in tears before even getting to the event."| Tracking Happiness
"My anxiety was out of control. My system "was constantly overloaded. There were days when I couldn't function. It's hard to admit, but some days, I didn’t enjoy being a mom...and I hated that! I wanted nothing more than to be the parent they needed. Unfortunately, I had no idea what that looked like. And they couldn’t tell me."| Tracking Happiness
"After a while, I decided to try psychotherapy. But eventually the therapist used sexual abuse as his “therapeutic intervention,” and my suicidal desires came back in full force. I lived on the sharp edges of suicide for several years. The only thing that stopped me from taking my own life was my love for my children."| Tracking Happiness
"The turning point came when I received my diagnosis at the specialized treatment facility. I reached a point where I needed clarity about my situation, so I took the necessary steps to take time away from family and company to pursue those answers. My time at the facility and finally understanding what was happening to me gave me a sense of relief and validation."| Tracking Happiness
Self-respect is hard to define and even harder to achieve, but crucial for your happiness. Here are 5 ways you can respect yourself more.| Tracking Happiness
Vulnerability allows you to better connect with others and thrive. Here are 11 examples of vulnerability and why it's so good for you.| Tracking Happiness
"After I was diagnosed, it took another 3 years before I found what balance of medication and therapy worked for me. I had to try to keep my grades up and maintain my friendships while battling severe mood swings and extreme tiredness, in addition to all of the regular drama that comes along with adolescence."| Tracking Happiness
"Despite experiencing severe depressive symptoms, including suicidal ideation, I made a concerted effort to appear upbeat and engaged in social settings. This involved forcing myself to smile, laugh, and participate in conversations as if everything was fine, even when I was internally battling intense emotional pain that I felt I was not safe to reveal."| Tracking Happiness
"If a situation is making you unhappy - a marriage, a job, a family member - anything - change the situation. You can leave, you can stop speaking to someone (yes, even a parent or another family member), and you can do so free of guilt because you are in charge of your own happiness, and life is too short to choose anything different for yourself."| Tracking Happiness
Founder of Tracking Happiness and lives in the Netherlands. Ran 5 marathons, with one of them in under 4 hours (3:59:58 to be exact). Data junkie and happiness tracker for over 10 years.| Tracking Happiness
"There were weeks when I wouldn't leave my house, feeling too overwhelmed and exhausted to face the world. I tend to isolate myself rather than reaching out to others, which only compounded my feelings of loneliness and despair. I had to repattern my behavior and learn to ask for help or talk about my feelings, but it wasn't easy. I internalized a lot of my pain and frustration, which made me feel even more isolated."| Tracking Happiness
"At 22 years old, I knew that I was dying of alcoholism. I accepted that. The trauma symptoms I experienced were too overwhelming to stop drinking. When I was sober, I would sometimes experience 30 to 40 body memories of being sexually assaulted–again and again in succession. I drank to feel numb."| Tracking Happiness
"Raising four young children and battling a chronic illness with no cure was challenging for me. On the outside, I looked OK. But I wasn’t and in some ways today still have flare-ups and struggles, the difference is, I now know how to maintain it, especially knowing this will be the rest of my life regardless!"| Tracking Happiness
"I've learned that finding the right people to confide in, those who offer genuine support and empathy, can make a significant difference in navigating these challenges. It takes time and trust to build those connections, but they are invaluable."| Tracking Happiness
"When the next depressive episode hit in 2018, I was devastated. How could this happen again when I thought I had it all figured out? I experienced some of the darkest moments of my life and a nearly complete loss of hope."| Tracking Happiness
"I felt prettier, smarter, funnier when alcohol entered my body so I simply continued numbing through the years. The progression of this disease of alcoholism turned into a nasty drug habit and those feelings of insecurity turned into deep darkness when I was “off my meds”. Or in other words, without alcohol or drugs."| Tracking Happiness