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We all want to make changes in our lives to be happier, but it’s important that you understand the relationship between short and long-term happiness. Both are important but we reach them in different ways and they can sometimes work against one another. Pursuing short-term happiness and satisfaction can often make you feel less happy in the long term. On the other hand, you don’t want to sacrifice all of your happiness today for the promise of eventual fulfillment later in life.

This balancing act is something that most people struggle with but if you want to improve your happiness and wellbeing, you need to focus on it. Here’s how to balance long and short-term happiness.

What Is The Difference Between Long and Short-Term Happiness?

The main difference between long and short-term happiness is that short-term happiness is more immediate while long-term happiness takes time to achieve.

Short-term happiness comes from things that are relatively easy to obtain such as food, money, or recognition. It’s a quick burst of pleasure that quickly fades away. For example, after a long day, you might decide to have a glass of wine to relax or eat some junk food.

Long-term happiness, on the other hand, comes from things that are more difficult to obtain such as meaningful work, strong relationships, and a sense of accomplishment. It’s a sustained state of pleasure that lasts for a longer period of time. For example, after years of hard work, you might finally get promoted to a job you love or find financial freedom, so you can reduce stress. In most cases, long-term happiness requires some sacrifices in the short term.

The Dangers of Focusing On One Or The Other

When you focus too much on short-term happiness, you can easily become addicted to the thrill of it and start chasing after instant gratification. This can lead to negative consequences in the long term as you’ll be less likely to achieve your goals or be satisfied with your accomplishments. For example, if you want to lose weight and be healthier, you need to dedicate yourself to a healthy eating routine and exercise regularly. If you keep this up, you achieve your long-term goal and you will be happier and healthier overall. However, if you focus on your short-term happiness too much, you will be more likely to snack on junk food or drink alcohol because it makes you feel good immediately. Ultimately, this means that you won’t achieve long-term happiness because you are focusing too much on the short term.

A strong focus on short-term happiness is often how addictive behaviors start too. If you feel bad and you turn to alcohol, for example, it might improve your mood in the short term. However, in the long-term, it decreases feelings of happiness and you can develop an addiction. In this case, you need to speak to an addiction treatment specialist to help you manage the dependence. This is a typical example of how focusing on short-term happiness can seriously damage your long-term happiness. The concept is very similar with things like comfort eating or impulse spending.

On the other hand, focusing only on your long-term happiness can lead to a lot of unhappiness in the short term. Financial freedom is a very common long-term goal that most of us strive towards. You will be much happier if you are free from stress about money. If you focus solely on this long-term goal, you might decide that you should cut out all spending on anything that isn’t essential. So, you go to work, pay your bills, and put everything else into savings. But that means you never get to go out and socialize with friends or buy anything nice for yourself. In the end, you cut out all of your short-term happiness in the hope of improving things at some point in the future.

Finding a balance between the two types of happiness is the key to sustained wellbeing, but how can you do that?

Finding A Balance Between Long and Short-Term Happiness

Set a budget for luxury spending

One way to find a balance between long and short-term happiness is by setting a budget for luxury spending. This means that you allow yourself some money every month to spend on things that make you happy in the short term, but you don’t go over your budget. This could be anything from going out for dinner with friends to buying a new dress. The key is that you are in control of your spending and you’re not letting your long-term happiness dictate everything that you do. But at the same time, you are still moving towards long-term happiness and financial stability because you are not being frivolous with your money.

Make your health routine fun

Living a healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to be a chore. In fact, if you get it right, it can serve your short and long-term happiness at the same time. Finding a form of exercise that you enjoy is the first step. If you work out with a friend, you can make it an opportunity for socializing too. When it comes to healthy food, mix up your meals so you don’t get bored. Try new recipes, experiment with different flavors, and make sure you’re getting all of the nutrients your body needs to be happy and healthy.

Track long-term goals in steps

If you’re finding it difficult to balance short and long-term happiness, try breaking down your long-term goals into smaller steps. This will make them feel more achievable and you’ll be less likely to get overwhelmed. For example, if your goal is to save for a house deposit, break that down into weekly or monthly savings targets. That way, if you slip up and overspend a little bit, you can look back and see that you’re still making progress overall.

Don’t beat yourself up

One of the biggest enemies to both short and long-term happiness is self-criticism. If you’re hard on yourself, it’s going to be difficult to maintain a positive outlook on life in either the short or long term. So, try and be gentle with yourself. Accept your mistakes and learn from them, but don’t dwell on them.

Finding a balance between short-term and long-term happiness can be difficult, but it’s definitely worth it in the end. By being mindful of your actions and taking steps to ensure that both types of happiness are considered, you’ll be on the right track.

WORK THROUGH YOUR PAST

You need to work through what has made you unhappy in the past in order to really find long-term happiness. This can be anything from a failed relationship to unresolved childhood trauma. It’s important to address these issues head-on rather than suppressing them, as they will only continue to adversely affect your life if left unaddressed. To work through your past, you need to clear your mind and ensure that you focus on the present moment. Delta 8 Seltzers can allow you to do this by reducing stress and anxiety levels and improving your focus, allowing you to place all of your mental energy on the task at hand.