The Happiness Index

CHAPTER 4Emotions as Data Points

It is possible to stop labelling your emotions as good or bad and start seeing them as your mind and body offering insight. Some people come at this from a spiritual angle; geeks like me look at them as data points to learn from.

How you come to the mindset shift is less important than the actual shift. The cool thing is that emotions are free and have evolved over thousands of years to help us navigate life. Sometimes these emotions can be uncomfortable, but it's important to listen to what your body and mind are telling you.

Before I gave up alcohol, if I was stressed after work, I would drink red wine to relax and push away any negative thoughts. All this did was push the thoughts back a bit, and I would wake up at 2 a.m. with these same stressful thoughts. The knock‐on impact of this was less sleep and a less happy me. Now when I get negative thoughts, I simply feel them and let them pass through my mind and body. I try to understand what they're telling me (easier said than done, I know).

Today we have a more prescribed version of meditation that makes some people feel uncomfortable with the overcomplicated process involving training courses, books, and apps. But I think what's important is that meditation is simply a way of processing your emotions. For some people that can be going for a walk, for others it's seeing friends, and for still others it's standing on their heads while chanting.

What's important is finding a healthy way to ...