All aspects of a happy and healthy life are important but one seems to be especially vital when life gets more difficult. I am speaking of an individual’s sense of meaning and purpose in life. The author that most impacted my thinking on the importance of meaning is the author and psychiatrist, Dr. Victor Frankl and his book, “Man’s Search for Meaning”. In this book he shares of his experiences in a concentration camp during WWII during which he witnessed and pondered certain individuals’ ability to survive unspeakable hardship while others seemed less able. He eventually attributed this ability to overcome hardship to a developed sense of meaning and purpose in life. So impacted was he by this insight, he later developed a type of psychotherapy around it called Logotherapy.

Many other authors and researchers have since noted the importance of meaning for a happy and productive life. We can create meaning in our lives through a profound life experience, through personal suffering or struggle or through an individual’s work or actions. One’s own meaning and purpose can be uniquely his or her own and need not go much farther than one’s own life or that of their family’s, such as to be an honest and trustworthy person, to be a good parent, to excel in their work or to be respected by others. It could really be anything, though I personally would counsel that it would not harm self or others and instead contribute to someone’s happiness and well-being. In the end, Frankl suggests that happiness and success are not to be sought directly but primarily by following our inner guide, our conscience. In his own words: “There is nothing in the world, I venture to say, that would so effectively help one to survive even the worst conditions as the knowledge that there is a meaning in one’s life.”

Stress Tip

My stress tip for the day is to bring more humor into your life. Again, the benefits of humor and laughter for relaxation and improved mood are well documented. And finding time and being purposeful about incorporating more humor can be as easy as watching a movie or reading a book. But as is often the case, humor is best done when involving others. So spend some time doing something fun with that old friend and let loose a little!

Please visit my web site at http://www.harborcounseling.net to learn more about my work as a therapist.
Wishing you peace and happiness!