Unhappy people

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When I come across people like that I remind myself that I don't know their life and I'm just getting a brief glimpse of it. For example, there are people like me, I generally try to be a positive person who looks on the bright side of things, however right now I see nothing bright or positive because of a recent traumatic loss. After a time I hope to be a positive person again. Then you have people like my grandfather who thrive on negativity because it gives them a reason to complain and be mean. He NEVER has a good thing to say about anything or anyone, even his "compliments" are insults in disguise. He gets off on starting fights over the stupidest things but then makes it your fault that there's an argument/fight. Some people are just unhappy in life and don't bother hiding it.
 
People with abnormalcy bias are often accused of being too negative.

But that is a misunderstanding of their mindset.....there is nothing more positive than thinking that you may be able to survive a very severe crisis that kills most of the human population.

Winners never quit.

What could be more positive than that?
 
Have you ever noticed that some people rarely have a positive thing to say? They only see the negative side of things! 🤔🤔🤔
Well you can count me out of that crowd.
If you read my posts, I try to inject a little bit of 'funny' in each one of them.
I refuse to be unhappy, even when conditions go downhill.
Now, pardon me while I summon some "chronic-disagreers" for you. :rolleyes:
:LOL:
 
Have you ever noticed that some people rarely have a positive thing to say? They only see the negative side of things! 🤔🤔🤔

All to often. They are boorish people I don't want to be around. I don't know if they do it to bring attention to themselves, but I limit the interaction as much as possible.

The analogy we always used was "they would complain about a million dollar gift."
 
...Still going..
You can throw the 'piling-on' flag if you wish. :rolleyes:
How bad are things?
Here is FOX NEWS Channel covering how horrible things are today:
IMG_20230529_163920.jpg

Yeah, we are all in terrible peril:(. We should all be unhappy and terrified.:rolleyes:
 
Everybody is negative about some things, and positive about others.

I'm a great example of this. When looking at small things, I am a near total negative person. I'm researching something I might buy on Amazon - which reviews do you think I read first? The one star ones, or the five star ones? I don't have to tell anybody the answer to that one - you already know it.

And in discussions here on the forum, I'll bet 99 percent of the people view me as negative vs. 1 percent who view me as positive. There is some truth to that.

But look a little deeper and you might see something else if you're willing to look. Take for instance the covid/vaccine thing (taboo subject, but I'll open it anyway). I doubt anybody is going to accuse me of being anti-vax. Mostly I will be accused of being clueless because I don't believe this is all a big government plan to eradicate us. Tell me - is mine a negative or a positive outlook on this issue? Yes, my view is against the trend of many here, but that doesn't make it the negative view. I would say the opposite is true.

Another thing to consider - we are all different online than we are in person. We may not realize this. I came to a hard realization once - at a Phideaux shoot in Kentucky. One of the other attendees there came up to me and said, "Of all the people who said they were coming to this event, you were the one I was most scared to meet." That kind of hurt. Then he said, "But you are actually the most happy, friendly, funny, and accommodating person here." That did make me feel a little better, but the realization of how I had appeared online still hurt.

I suspect all of us have experienced this to a smaller or larger degree at sometime in our online life. So I try not to judge people by their worst day(s) online. At least not permanently (temporarily, yeah, I can be an ass). Because I don't want to be judged that way myself. It's all to easy - online especially - to paint yourself into a corner that you never intended to. And find yourself arguing for the exact opposite of you wish you were arguing for.

So. Am I negative? Certainly. My wife says so. And you can't argue with the wife. You are absolutely guaranteed to lose. But am I positive too? Probably more than I am negative. Although it might not be evident. Especially online. And especially when people of differing viewpoints are judging each other. We tend to see, and maybe ever search out, the negatives.
 
I try to be optimistic... I used to be a really negative person, now I'm more of a happy-go-lucky guy, lol. I realize that this world is full of problems, and I can't solve them all on my own. I still rant on occasion with regard to globalists, banksters, scumbag politicians and other greedy swine, but that's out of necessity, lol. Somebody has to spread the word about those wankers, and it ain't gonna be some stoned millennial playing video games on the couch. But I also try to live my life with honor, and treat others fairly until they show me their true colors. I don't like being around chronic whiners or complainers, that has never been my style... I'm more likely to figure out how to solve a problem, aye? 😒

Happiness starts with decent health and a measure of self-esteem... low self-esteem can easily lead to unhappiness, the same way living in poverty can mess with one's happiness. But if your basic needs are met and you feel good about yourself, then there's no reason to be unhappy. Sure, there are some evil and corrupt scumbags in this world who are making it more difficult for everyone else, but I'm not gonna let those douchebags affect my personal happiness. If hard choices have to be made in my monthly budget, I'm simply gonna make those hard choices and drive on, yeah? I may get angry on occasion, especially where dirty globalist swine and scumbag politicians are concerned, but so it goes. 😕

Freedom is tied to happiness... the greater personal freedom one enjoys, the happier that person will be. I've learned that it's better to be happy than angry or negative... way less stressful, and life overall is much easier. When I die, I wanna go to my grave knowing that I had fun, and that I wasn't angry or stressed out most of the time, like so many people are. It's easy to fall into that trap, the world being what it is. I know this: life in the rural boondocks has been WAY less stressful than life in the Big City. I'll never go back, that much is certain. They don't call it a "rat race" for nothing, lol. Give me the country for the rest of my years, and I'll be happy... having wilderness areas right nearby also helps, I'm very happy there. 😎
 
Sorry, but I am one of those people. I have always thought life mostly sucks and then you die. I still live it, but there are way too many problems in life to make it enjoyable. Nothing ever turns out great. And my life is most likely a million times better than some woman living in Sudan or Afghanistan.
 
I try to be optimistic... I used to be a really negative person, now I'm more of a happy-go-lucky guy, lol. I realize that this world is full of problems, and I can't solve them all on my own. I still rant on occasion with regard to globalists, banksters, scumbag politicians and other greedy swine, but that's out of necessity, lol. Somebody has to spread the word about those wankers, and it ain't gonna be some stoned millennial playing video games on the couch. But I also try to live my life with honor, and treat others fairly until they show me their true colors. I don't like being around chronic whiners or complainers, that has never been my style... I'm more likely to figure out how to solve a problem, aye? 😒

Happiness starts with decent health and a measure of self-esteem... low self-esteem can easily lead to unhappiness, the same way living in poverty can mess with one's happiness. But if your basic needs are met and you feel good about yourself, then there's no reason to be unhappy. Sure, there are some evil and corrupt scumbags in this world who are making it more difficult for everyone else, but I'm not gonna let those douchebags affect my personal happiness. If hard choices have to be made in my monthly budget, I'm simply gonna make those hard choices and drive on, yeah? I may get angry on occasion, especially where dirty globalist swine and scumbag politicians are concerned, but so it goes. 😕

Freedom is tied to happiness... the greater personal freedom one enjoys, the happier that person will be. I've learned that it's better to be happy than angry or negative... way less stressful, and life overall is much easier. When I die, I wanna go to my grave knowing that I had fun, and that I wasn't angry or stressed out most of the time, like so many people are. It's easy to fall into that trap, the world being what it is. I know this: life in the rural boondocks has been WAY less stressful than life in the Big City. I'll never go back, that much is certain. They don't call it a "rat race" for nothing, lol. Give me the country for the rest of my years, and I'll be happy... having wilderness areas right nearby also helps, I'm very happy there. 😎
♥️♥️♥️
 
Funny timing since I just watched a documentary about Denmark "the happiest country in the world". Three things that I learned comes to mind:

1) they are taught happiness in elementary school. They begin every day with a sing along. And they rate their current level of happiness and share the significant things going on in their lives. They gain trust and comraderie at an early age. And social responsibility.

2) they have very liberal social providings. (And crazy high taxes). This creates a minimum level of security and standards of living.

3) they truly indulge and enjoy the simple pleasures in life.

And other folks I know on the complete opposite of that spectrum? They seem to be happy by voicing and demonstrating unhappiness? Spreading grief somehow brings them joy?
 
Life and all things included in it are what YOU make them. Take me for example on April 14th 2005 M.S. hit me hard and left me unable to walk talk or write. It took the docs until Oct to figure out what had happened and by then I was nearing deaths door. On 9/2/05 my youngest was born and here a month later the docs tell me to make arrangements as they don't think I'll live through christmas of 05. My thought at the time was just you wait and see I'll out live you -ucks cause I am not going anywhere. I will see my kids grow up and be there for them no matter what! My youngest graduated Saturday

I will freely admit moving here and starting this homestead in 08 had and has a lot to do with me still being alive and kicking. This lifestyle has been and continues to be my rehab and therapy but my girls were the catalyst that really pushed me to want to live. I was still using crutches and or a pair of canes to walk and my oldest 8 at the time carried the chainsaw around for me while we cleared land. I would brace myself and put my crutches or canes down and take the saw from her and cut what I could reach. Then hand her the saw move and repeat you get the idea. As time went on I dropped back to a crutch or cane then eventually to none except when things reversed again which happened a more than few times. I still keep crutches and canes handy for the next time I need them but it's been awhile. It could happen at any moment though and that's just a part of life now. I was still using them while we built the house we have lived in these last 14-15 years. BTW My wife left the girls and I in 2011 and we have done the rest all on our own with very little to no outside help since.

SO I SAY AGAIN LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT! YOU and nobody but you can decide whether to be happy or unhappy.

Now I know and they know I am on borrowed time but I just keep plugging along and will do so until I drop for the final time. Which is perfectly fine as I won, I made it, my girls are now in a position and have the knowledge to take care of themselves. If I get LUCKY again I will be alive long enough to pay this place off and keep improving it until I have something worthwhile to leave for them free and clear when I pass. Hopefully the good lord will grant me the years still needed to make that happen but if not I've done the best I could and have almost no regrets. The one thing I sort of do regret is not having anyone to share my life with now as I have steadfast refused to get in another relationship since I have nothing to offer anyone and I dang sure wasn't going to bounce a line of women in and out of their lives until I found someone so I just did without. In hindsight I realize now that was a mistake as they really needed a female figure in their lives. But after the crap their mom put us through I just wasn't willing until recently. She saw her kids on average 2 to 3 times a year for a few hours at a time until they were teenagers and then slightly more.

.
 
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So true, BK! Life is what you make of it... even if you are dealt a cr@ppy hand. I always tell my friends & family that a home is what you make of it, and life is no different. One can sit around and mope and complain, or one can take steps to try and improve the situation. I'm definitely one of the steppers, lol, though I used to be really cynical and down on life. Too much punk rock as a youngster... now my attitude toward life is different, and I've learned to appreciate simple things such as wildflowers & hummingbirds, clean fresh mountain air and quiet country living. :cool:

I also think it's important to get out of the MSM propaganda loop... nothing but bad news anyway, better to live your life on a local level and make the most of it while you can. ;)
 
@FarmOR I knew a woman from Denmark. She was a happy person! Almost in denial that anything could possibly be wrong. She was born in the 1940s. I got to know her daughter who has had cancer twice. The American-born daughter’s knock ‘em dead attitude about cancer and her positivity about life have been a great inspiration to many.
 
When you live on the edge, the near constant edge of danger, your default thinking is danger. And while danger is entertaining in small, rare doses. when immersed in danger, the distant observer with whom you are communicating perceives you as negative.
 
Funny timing since I just watched a documentary about Denmark "the happiest country in the world". Three things that I learned comes to mind:


2) they have very liberal social providings. (And crazy high taxes). This creates a minimum level of security and standards of living.

3) they truly indulge and enjoy the simple pleasures in life.
I have something to say about this. Denmark is a lot like Germany ( or used to be when I lived there anyway) and it is easier to be happy there because you have less problems in many ways.

When I think about what makes me unhappy here , these things would not be as much of an issue if I had stayed living there. I would not have to worry about health insurance for one. This is a large part of why we are poor. I would not have to worry as much or at all about our transportation problems. They have really good public transportation. When I was working, and husband was working, we had very little time for anything. There, you get more time off, more vacation time, more maternity leave, more holidays.
The culture used to be different also, very non diverse, meaning there isn't all this ugliness with diversity, minorities, race and so on. It's a non issue. It is safer to live there. You don't have to be armed to teeth just to go shop at Walmart just in case some crazy starts shooting. Even larger cities are relatively safe, there are no places like ghetto Detroit and such at all. Public schools were better.
So less stress and anxiety overall. ( but things have changed there also, since they have imported a bunch of third world trash)
 
Many times I have heard someone say I just couldn't make my ex happy. I have come to realize the truth in that simple statement. You cannot make someone happy if they can't or won't be happy on their own.
 
I have a saying about some folks.
Some folks aren’t happy unless they’re miserable.
I think we all know someone like that.

We have a saying about, you're saying. We call that, "EMBRACE the SUCK".
 
I have something to say about this. Denmark is a lot like Germany ( or used to be when I lived there anyway) and it is easier to be happy there because you have less problems in many ways.
I think we have to lean into the things that we enjoy and make us happy. For me gardening, growing, music, crafting, sewing, cooking and being outdoors are things that make me happy. Cleaning not so much! I also stay away from crabby, grumpy, judgmental people!

https://www.healthline.com/health/happy-hormone
 
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https://www.healthline.com/health/happy-hormone
Hormones are chemicals produced by different glands across your body. They travel through the bloodstream, acting as messengers and playing a part in many bodily processes.
One of these important functions? Helping regulate your mood.
Certain hormones are known to help promote positive feelings, including happiness and pleasure.
These “happy hormones” include:
  • Dopamine: Known as the “feel-good” hormone, dopamine is a neurotransmitter that’s an important part of your brain’s reward system. It’s associated with pleasurable sensations, along with learning, memory, and more.
  • Serotonin: This hormone and neurotransmitter helps regulate your mood as well as your sleep, appetite, digestion, learning ability, and memory.
  • Oxytocin: Often called the “love hormone,” oxytocin is essential for childbirth, breastfeeding, and strong parent-child bonding. It can also help promote trust, empathy, and bonding in relationships. Levels generally increase with physical affection.
  • Endorphins: These hormones are your body’s natural pain reliever, which your body produces in response to stress or discomfort. Levels may also increase when you engage in reward-producing activities such as eating, working out, or having sex.
Here’s a look at what you can do to help produce more of these natural mood boosters.

Get outside​

Looking to boost your serotonin level? Spending time outdoors, in sunlight, is a great way to do this.
According to research, exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun can increase the production of serotonin.
You can try spending about 15 minutes outside a few times a week. Try exploring a new neighborhood or park if you’re tired of the same old sights. Just be aware that UV exposure can also increase the risk of skin cancer, so don’t forget sunscreen!

Make time for exercise​

Exercise has multiple physical health benefits. It can also have a positive impact on emotional well-being.
If you’ve heard of a “runner’s high,” you might already know about the link between exercise and endorphin release.
But exercise doesn’t just work on endorphins. Regular physical activity can also increase your dopamine and serotonin levels, making it a great option to boost your happy hormones.

Maximize your workout​

To see even more benefits from exercise:
  • Include a few friends: A small 2017 study of medical students found evidence to suggest group exercise offers more significant benefits than solo exercise.
  • Get some sun: Move your workout outdoors to maximize your serotonin boost.
  • Time it: Aim for at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise at a time. Any amount of physical activity has health benefits, but researchTrusted Source associates higher-intensity workouts with a greater release of endorphins.
Was this helpful?

Laugh with a friend​

Who hasn’t heard the old saying, “Laughter is the best medicine?”
Of course, laughter won’t treat ongoing health issues. But it can help relieve feelings of anxiety or stress, and improve a low mood by boosting dopamine and endorphin levels.
According to a small 2017 studyTrusted Source looking at 12 young men, social laughter triggered endorphin release. ResearchTrusted Source supports this finding.
So, share that funny video, dust off your joke book, or watch a comedy special with a friend or partner.
An added bonus? Bonding over something hilarious with a loved one might even trigger oxytocin release.

Cook (and enjoy) a favorite meal with a loved one​

This tip could — in theory — boost all four of your happy hormones.
The enjoyment you get from eating something delicious can trigger the release of dopamine along with endorphins. Sharing the meal with someone you love, and bonding over meal preparation, can boost oxytocin levels.
Certain foods can also have an impact on hormone levels, so note the following when meal planning for a happy hormone boost:
  • spicy foods may trigger endorphin release
  • yogurt, beans, eggs, meats with low-fat content, and almonds are just a few foods linked to dopamine release
  • foods high in tryptophan have been linked to increased serotonin levels
  • foods containing probiotics, such as yogurt, kimchi, and sauerkraut, can influence the release of hormones

Try supplements​

There are several supplements that may help increase your happy hormone levels. Here are just a few to consider:
Experts studying the effects of supplements have found varied results. Many studies involved animals only, so more research is needed to help support the benefits of supplements for humans.
Supplements may be helpful, but some aren’t recommended for people with certain health conditions. They can also interact with certain medications, so talk to a healthcare provider before you try them.
If you do take any supplements, read all package instructions and stick to the recommended dose, since some can have negative effects at high doses.
 

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