I JUST WANT TO BE HAPPY

O.K., this blog has nothing to do with plastic surgery…or does it? I will let you decide…please read on.

A friend of mine send me a YouTube video and it compelled me to write this blog. I think the topic is relevant, especially now with new year’s resolutions coming up.

A few years ago, around Christmas time, I was in the operating room and the subject of wishes came up. The surgical technician asked me if I could have only one wish, what would it be? I thought about it for a few seconds and said “I just want to be happy.”

I just want to be happy. It seems such a simple concept, and yet, why most of us have such a hard time acheiving happiness?

I can’t tell you what should make you happy. But I do know this: happiness is a state of mind.

Happy people, for the most part, see the glass as half full and not half empty. When hardship or failure occurs, happy people try to learn from the experience and find a positive aspect as a result. To quote the famous German philosopher, Nietzsche, “What does not destroy me, makes me stronger.”

Happy people set realistic goals, with a higher chance of success. Do not confuse this with laziness! Happy and successful people work hard. Yet they succeed because they have realistic expectations.

Do not stress over factors which are beyond your control. For example, none of us have the power to improve the economy. The key, therefore, is to modify things we can control, in order to survive.

Exercise! I have touted the benefits of exercise before, and I will mention it every opportunity I get! Exercise improves blood flow to the brain and body. It also increases the levels of endorphin (your body’s own morphine), resulting in a natural high. It is much easier to achieve a happy state of mind when your are on drugs (naturally, of course!).

A common misconception is that wealth is directly proportional to happiness. In fact, this is not the case. Several studies, comparing different countries and cultures reached the same conclusion: once a person’s income passes the poverty level, there is no correlation between income and happiness.

Some of us are genetically gifted to have a happy state of mind. For most of us our brain needs to be retrained to reach that state. It is not easy, but worth the effort.

If you are unhappy all the time, the easiest thing to do is to rule out any medical condition which may be causing your unhappiness. Thyroid conditions are perhaps the most common cause. You may also consider seeing a psychiatrist for a few sessions. No, you do not have to be crazy to see one! What a good psychiatrist will do, however, is to find the source of your unhappiness and help you retrain your thought process.

Many of you reading this blog are thinking what does Dr. Jazayeri know about unhappiness! He is a plastic surgeon…he is set! It took an incredible sequence of events for all us to be born into this world. We are all, therefore, very special. I am no more special than you are. Like all human beings, I have had my ups and downs, I have my ups and downs now, and will continue to have ups and downs in the future. The important thing is what I choose to do and how I choose to react to my downs.

As a plastic surgeon in Santa Ana I can help you achieve “outer happiness”, but only you can help yourself with your inner happiness.

Enough blogging! The link to the video is below. It has a simple and important message, and it brought a smile to my face. I hope you will put “I just want to be happy” on the top of your new year’s resolution list.