Strength TogetHER 13 - Session 8
November 27,2022
Happiness is everywhere. We just have to look for it.
We had a session with Shreya Thapa on the topic "WHAT MAKES YOU THE HAPPIEST." Shreya Thapa identifies as a cross-cultural Nepali who is always thirsty for new experiences and explorations. Over the last 10+ years, she's worked in journalism/media/freelance writing and the development sector. Shreya believes school should never get in the way of our learning and encourages a worldview that is based on love, gratitude, and wholesome nourishment of the self. We had around 11-12 participants for the session.
Our session began with the introduction of the participants and the moderator where we had to mention our name and hobby. After completion of that we started with the speakers. Our first speaker finds happiness in the small things. Be it seeing her parents smile, or or spending time with her big brother and baby sister. When she was asked when she was the happiest, she told us she felt happy when she looked good, and I mean, don't we all ? She also added that receiving handmade gifts makes her happy as well, as it is a sweet and thoughtful gesture. The moderator then stepped in to say that she, too, finds joy in the small things, like being herself. The next question was what is something you do that makes you happy, to which she replied by saying achieving her goals make her happy.
For the next speaker, happiness was being productive and self satisfied. The moderator then asked her what other things made her happy. She said that even little things like when someone asks "how are you doing?" make her happy. The feeling of being acknowledged brought her happiness. She also went on to say that the sisterhood we had created in our cohort also made her happy.
Our third speaker gave a very sweet answer, which I'm sure everyone can relate to, and that is her dog, Eno, and her friends made her happy. She usually becomes happy when her friends praise her when she does well in any kind of program. She also becomes very happy when she sings or paints, and also when she completes something all by herself.
Everyone at some point in their lives has had moments where they've doubted themselves or felt like they weren't good enough. This was also the case for our fifth and final speaker. She always doubted herself and did not have confidence in herself. She couldn't be vocal and found it hard to speak up. She also shared something that happened to her that was a massive hit to her confidence. Her school had held a program and she decided to recite a poem. Her friends made fun of her for it and she was very upset. After a while, she took the step to gain her confidence back and accepted herself for who she is. And now, she is happy as ever. The moderator followed up the speaker's answer by saying how profound and deep her answer was and asked her if she had any advice for someone going through the same. The speaker's advice to anyone that's struggling like she did, was to be vocal about their problems, learn to set boundaries and to pour their emotions out in a journal. This is quite useful advice, because keeping things to yourself does not help. We really do need to just vent and let our feelings out sometimes.
And with that, our session was almost over. At the end, the moderator shared with us what made her happy. She finds happiness in inner peace, loving herself the same no matter what, and not overthinking everything just because of other people's opinions. Very often we put other people's opinions and feelings before our own preferences. We need to learn to put ourselves first and not be so worried about what everyone else is thinking. This really is the true way to happiness.
All in all, it was a wonderful session and every single speaker had their own idea of happiness and their own stories. A lot of them opened up about their struggles and got very vulnerable. I am so incredibly glad that everyone saw this as a safe space to get vulnerable and open up and be vocal. It was truly heartwarming, and everyone's answers pulled some heartstrings.
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