1. You can’t remember the last time you laughed really hard. I don’t care how busy you are, you should have one of those loud, embarrassing guffaws every single day. If you are not giggling, chortling, or braying like a donkey several times a day, you may be unhappy.

2. You have been gaining weight—without wanting to. Food is oh-so-delicious and it can often comfort us during stressful or emotionally trying times. If your clothes are starting to get too tight, you may be unhappy.

3. Your friends are becoming stand-offish. No one wants to be around Negative Nancy or her brother Bad Attitude Billy. If you feel like you aren’t being invited to as many things, and people don’t seem to want to linger in your presence, you may be unhappy.

4. You have physical pain or keep getting sick. As that pharmaceutical commercial says, “Depression hurts.” It really does! If you have been experiencing neck pains, stomach pains, migraines, cramps, or just can’t seem to shake the recurrence of the flu, you may be unhappy. Your body is trying to tell you!

5. You don’t sleep well. Either your mind keeps racing or you’re having bad dreams, but you just don’t feel refreshed in the morning. You feel like you need a whole ‘nother night of sleep to really function for the day. You are very likely not happy right now.

I am not a doctor, and refuse to use the word “depressed” in this post, because I believe that many of the signs of unhappiness and suffering that we label and medically treat as depression could be solved with better diet, exercise, some yoga, and some prayer. Depression is REAL and I’m so happy that we have scientific advances to treat people’s serious medical conditions. However, all too often, our spirits are sick—not our minds.

Ask yourself: Are you really happy?

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Tagged as: depression, happiness, lists, spirituality, unhappy