Happy Places

[Elf They/them]

Allright so i dont exactly know where I am going with this but 

i know ive been under a lot of stress lately 

and i realize there must be loads of other people out there who are under stress too 

I want you to know 

You are not alone.

I understand you.

and most importantly 

It will get better. 

I'm going to write down my happy place, what I imagine when I'm feeling like this, and you're welcome to do the same and give your own affirmations 

My happy place would be a cabin in the woods, with luscious green trees and foliage surrounding me.Cool, wintery weather. A fireplace, maybe. Long hours in front of the fireplace with a book and Earl Grey tea. Research done sitting on the bed, and watching snow fall outside. Playing some classical music while cooking dinner over a simple stove(think garlic sizzling in a hot pan and the tomatoes breaking down to form chunky marinara sauce) and then eating in candlelight. Waking up in the morning by the rustle of the trees and chirping of the birds. 

I already feel better, and if you're reading this, I hope you feel better too : )

Edited February 24, 2023 by Elf

[That1Cellist he/him]

My happy place is my room, quiet and familiar. It's late at night, but there is no need to worry. Nobody else is awake. It is as if I was alone in my own small little world. The world is quiet, peaceful. I have books, paper, blankets and pillows. There's a fireplace too. I have my cello and plenty of music. It's quiet everywhere, and the world seems small and wonderful again. I have rabbits in my room with me too. Their happy hopping and quiet, gentle noses bring a calm that I have not felt in a long time. I know that everything will be okay. That I am loved and that I deserve it. That the people I care about truly do care about me. I know that on the morrow, when we see each other, our faces will light up with recognition and happiness.

And I write, read, and listen in a quiet world, an endless moment of time just for me.

[Morningtide she/her]

You are all beautiful and unique people! Being you is more than enough. 

My happy place is a corner in my local library. There's a little table in the YA section where I sit and do my homework on fridays listening to music by the Piano Guys or similar composers. It's quiet and most often deserted and I am surrounded by books. I am doing something that needs to be done and feel good about it. 
In a perfect world, my other happy place would be in a cabin in the woods sensing a theme with bookshelves on all of the walls. There would be a fireplace and a stack of blankets in the corner. I would be on a couch with pillows that you can disappear into. I'd still be listening to music and I'd be reading one of my favorite books - my comfort books. I'd have little chocolates and some delicious snack like flavored pretzels. I'd have my phone nearby and would be texting family and friends. I wouldn't have anything pressing on me or anything that I need to accomplish. Just books and peace. 

[Wittles he/him]

My happy place is late at night in my room. Everything is quiet except for the lofi music, or epic orchestral music, depending on my mood, that I am playing probably way too loud. The music fills my head with ideas of things to draw. Sometimes I have drawn for hours on end into the early hours of the morning. Oftentimes I don't even get anywhere with the drawing, but it is one of the few things in recent months that keeps me from going into the areas of my mind that are best left untouched. Usually the night brings with it dark thoughts, and sometimes even suicidal ideations, but when I'm drawing with that music playing; it feels like there's a bubble around me that doesn't follow the same rules of time, a bubble that protects me from all the stress of day to day life. 

Anyway. As you might have guessed, I like drawing

[Edema Rue she/her]

This is a fantastic idea.

I have a few happy places, because I have so many different sides of myself. One of them is on top of a mountain, just me and my bike, in the middle of a hailstorm. It would be muddy and wet and everything inside of me would hurt, but I would be okay. Lungs burning, heart pumping, but I wouldn't be stuck in my own head; when you're quite literally fighting for your life, there's no time for your brain to convince you of lies. 

Another one is somewhere I've never been. An old library that smells of books and freshly cut wood, despite how aged it is. In it is a ragged old green couch, one that's been well-loved from years of sitting in a drama classroom. There are books to read, things to write, and most importantly, no need to do any of it. A thousand years I could sit there. In this library, I would have the mental strength to grow; to play my violin, to learn new things, to do anything. I would have the time to do it and the supplies to do it right. 

[Immortal Platypus]

Guys, I'm tearing up reading all of these.

I guess my happy place is probably... On stage. Performing, whether it be bass, singing, or piano. Standing (or sitting) in the lights, illuminated and proud. Fingers flying over the keys, practically attacking the audience with the amount of sound I produce. Months of preparation poured into a single, stunning night of songs. The orchestra behind me, backing me up in everything I do. Mind free to wander and contemplate life as my practice takes over, allowing me to go blank and just feel. To just know, "This is what I'm meant to do." Every fiber of my soul moved and my eyes watering as I continue to pour my heart out to the audience. The world going quiet as I finish and bow, then take my leave. Being able to just ignore what I need to do and focus on the now and the distant future, not the current one. 

Thank you so much @Elf! This has made me realize what I like and need, and what i need to do. I also feel much better.

[Ranryu she/her]

My happy place was my childhood home. An old one story house sitting on an acre. The house is old and musty, but you know every inch of it— centipedes and all. The yard is filled with climbable trees and weeds, and there’s a cow pasture on the other side of the barbed wire fence. In the spring, hyacinths and chives sprout up and the magnolia trees bloom. When it rains, it feels like the sky is falling. The entire yard turns into a puddle— frogs everywhere. A little ways down the dirt road, there’s an old lady’s house. She keeps a beautiful garden that you can play in whenever you want. Lilacs, wisteria, bleeding hearts, daffodils, and almost every flower imaginable. You can sit on a mossy stone and read a book or pet a cat.

[Edema Rue she/her]

55 minutes ago, Being of Cacophony said:

Guys, I'm tearing up reading all of these.

I guess my happy place is probably... On stage. Performing, whether it be bass, singing, or piano. Standing (or sitting) in the lights, illuminated and proud. Fingers flying over the keys, practically attacking the audience with the amount of sound I produce. Months of preparation poured into a single, stunning night of songs. The orchestra behind me, backing me up in everything I do. Mind free to wander and contemplate life as my practice takes over, allowing me to go blank and just feel. To just know, "This is what I'm meant to do." Every fiber of my soul moved and my eyes watering as I continue to pour my heart out to the audience. The world going quiet as I finish and bow, then take my leave. Being able to just ignore what I need to do and focus on the now and the distant future, not the current one. 

Thank you so much @Elf! This has made me realize what I like and need, and what i need to do. I also feel much better.

 

15 minutes ago, Ranryu said:

My happy place was my childhood home. An old one story house sitting on an acre. The house is old and musty, but you know every inch of it— centipedes and all. The yard is filled with climbable trees and weeds, and there’s a cow pasture on the other side of the barbed wire fence. In the spring, hyacinths and chives sprout up and the magnolia trees bloom. When it rains, it feels like the sky is falling. The entire yard turns into a puddle— frogs everywhere. A little ways down the dirt road, there’s an old lady’s house. She keeps a beautiful garden that you can play in whenever you want. Lilacs, wisteria, bleeding hearts, daffodils, and almost every flower imaginable. You can sit on a mossy stone and read a book or pet a cat.

I’m out of rep so I have to just tell you guys how true and amazing those both are, now I’m tearing up. Performing is definitely another one for me. There’s just a sense of “this is where I belong. This is where I can do anything, be anyone.” It’s unlike anything else I’ve done, and it’s incredible.

[The Bookwyrm he/him]

A happy place...

A single place cannot contain all that I hold dear.

I love the feeling of rain, the time after the thunder has passed, as water pounds down upon the ground and the world seems to come alive, as often happened in the place of my early childhood. I love the sensation of waking up to a land blanketed in white snow, the sudden, almost magical transformation that happens. I love curling up in the warm indoors and gazing outside, a comforting reminder of the majesty of nature as I read a book. I love the mountains; their calm, majestic, towering forms seeming to provide stability and guidance in the world. I love knowing which way is North, knowing where you are in relation to everywhere else, because of those mountains, which were a part of my later childhood.

My happy place is with those that I love. Family, friends...people that I can laugh with, relate to, talk with, think with. People that care about me and what I do, and I do the same for them in turn. Wherever I am grows better when I'm with them.

My happy place is something different. My mind and soul often yearn for something beyond the monotonous life I sometimes live. A break in the cycle, a trip to somewhere exotic and interesting, creates a small home in time separate from where I live. I cherish that time with those I love, so much that a return "home" seems to be a sad occasion.

My happy place is when the night is clear, free from cloud and light and work. I can go into the outdoors and gaze into infinity, trying to comprehend what it all is, what's out there, who's out there, and what it all means. I desperately try to rid myself of the feeling of "up" and "down" and try feel the drifting of the world I'm bound to.

My happy place is the forefront of the mind; a discovery by someone at the frontiers of understanding, shuttled by technology into my eager mind. I dream of being among those explorers of the frontiers.

No place can hold all that I could want in a place. Mountains, an ocean, warmth and life, snow and ice, dark nights. Not a place on this world can hold everything I want; sometimes I'm trapped by the reality of daily life. Perhaps this is why my happy place is in a book. I can, for a time, leave my world behind, travel to another, find other places and learn other things. A return to reality is, once again, sorrowful.

I take comfort in that night sky of infinity. Because the knowledge I've gained lets me look up and know there are countless worlds beyond this one. Worlds beyond my understanding and imagining. So much to see, so much to know. I find it beautiful, and it fills me with excitement.

So what if no place can have it all? A little voice whispers to me that my destiny is infinite, and that all places will be open to me.

My happy place is an infinite universe of countless worlds, one that I share with those I love, and with everyone.

[Wittles he/him]

I love all of these so much *happiness noises*

[Shadowed]

These are so nice to read. It makes me happy seeing all these beautiful descriptions of things that make you happy 

I guess I’ll do one then.

My happy place would be in the woods with my best friend. After an exhilarating day of chasing each other through the trees, laughing together, and getting lost among the greenery, we set up our tent by a hidden lake, which glitters in the soft moonlight. We are hot, sweaty and out of breath from a day of adventuring, but we find time to sit down together under a blanket beside the lake. They put their arm around me and I hand them a mug of steaming hot chocolate. We sit like that for a long time, neither breaking the serene calm that settles over both of us as we watch the stars dance over the water.

Alternatively, my happy place is on top of a lonely forgotten hill. It is raining, the wind whipping a gale round me, but I can barely feel it. I pull out my flute and, caught up in the moment, begin to play.

At first, I do not know what I am playing - a torrent of discordant harmonies rush out, and I wince. But gradually, I find my groove. The music fills me up as I play note after note, piece after piece, vibrant dance after mournful lament. I forget about the rain, the wind, the rest of the world, and simply play. It is just me and the music.

(NOT that I am recommending taking a fragile metal object out in the rain, obviously. But that is my fantasy.)

[Shining Silhouette he/him]

Two happy places come to mind for me.

When I'm really stressed and need a release, I gravitate toward the piano. On those days, I wait until I'm alone and sit in silence for a while to collect my thoughts, then I turn off all the lights and close my eyes. When I'm at the piano, a deep, resounding peace washes over me. Sometimes, when I feel particularly burdened, whispered thoughts accompany the music. As my fingers glide along the keys, I finally feel connected to my soul. Emotions rise and swell, stories are told and lost again, tears trickle down my face—I am in a blissful state of harmony, one with the piano, free to be the person I sometimes hide.

My other happy place is a time late at night after a day with friends, sitting close together in a cozy corner. We share stories and very often ignite the explosion that is our collective laughter. There's a beautiful energy between us—we're connected on an emotional level. Our conversations run deep and we share our feelings, struggles, and failures, but we always walk away uplifted. Our hearts are warm, our eyelids are falling, and our brains have gone temporarily insane, but that's okay, cause everyone knows you have to go crazy every once in a while.

[Telrao she/her]

Oh, this thread is so sweet! I have a few happy places too...

If I need to wind down, or I'm stressed, or just plain overloaded and need a place to take a breath, I go to my room. Yeah, a little weird, I guess, but I'm blessed enough to have my own room - a place where I can be safe, and not be bothered. My bookshelf sits there, loaded with tiny worlds that I can pick up, enter and explore. The most wonderful moment is when I close the door, and curl up on my bed with my cat, reading a book. The feeling of rough paper between my fingers, the smell of nature through my open window, sunlight streaming down to light those precious black letters, the soft purr of my sole companion, and the beautiful worlds in my mind is just a wonderful experience. The simple comfort is like a warm embrace from a friend, telling me that I'm valued. Merely meeting a new character, falling in love with the story, the world, the twists and turns... it brings a small light of joy into my heart.

My other happy place? Music. Be it a song that I am listening to, or that I playing on the piano or flute, there is something... peaceful. The moment when you finally finish a piece perfectly, or find the rhythm that you have been struggling with for so long... there's a calm serenity, and yet an excited discovery. Sometimes, I discover a song that I haven't listened to in literal years, and when it plays... the nostalgia flows across me like a warm blanket, surrounding my soul in the peaceful pleasure of rediscovery. Music with lyrics that connect to me - sounds that flow through my veins, and yet fly about with vibrant colours, bring me a simple joy.

And the final happy place? Art. Be it painting, or sketching, or drawing, just losing myself in what I am creating is a wonder and a joy. The moment when you sit back from a long session of sketching and find yourself smiling despite your failure to draw, or when you glance at your hands and find them stained in blue paint... those moments are my happy places. Not a place, but a moment - a deeper connection to something deep within me, a creative spark or a smile. A precious gem, twinkling in the golden light, or a tiny kitten mewling - those moments are pure happiness to me. And there, in those moments, a happy place!

[Wittles he/him]

Creation in really any form is the highest form of happiness we can experience I think

[Immortal Platypus]

It lets you know that you are the one in charge, whatever you're doing is what you should be doing. That's why I love it so much. I'm told pretty often that what I'm doing is wrong and I need to do something else. That's why I love performing arts!

[Wittles he/him]

Performing arts sound really fun, I think I'm gonna try out for something sometime

[Immortal Platypus]

you should. It can be a lot of work, it's not for the faint of heart, but it's incredibly worth it.

[Elf They/them]

a small one bedroom apartment in London

rainy afternoons spent reading with a steaming cup of Earl Grey 

being an english professor at a university and introducing young minds to the power of the written word 

playing my violin 

evenings spent strolling down London streets, occasionally ducking into a bookstore or cafe that catches my interest

[S. Stormy she/her]

My happy places:

Writing, giggling at typos(once typed "Nodboy" instead of "Nobody"), smiling because I'm tearing up at my own writing, and just getting lost in theorizing about my own creation.

Or:

My room, dim blue light filtering through the curtains and falling onto the quilt I helped make. A bookshelf full of all my favorite stories.

(bonus) Or!

Onstage. Sometimes. Even when I'm terrified, it's still amazing.

Edited March 16, 2023 by Shallan Stormblessed

[Medium he/they]

Happy places:

Anywhere where I can smile, laugh, and love. Anywhere I feel safe.

But to be more specific:

My room when it's cloudy, and my main light is off and I've got lofi music playing and I'm just cozy in bed.

The arms of my beloved, where I feel the most happy and the most safe.

My therapy-prescribed 'calm safe place,' which is a cozy little room with a fire in one corner, a large window on one wall overlooking a mountain grove where it's foggy and rainy and gray. inside the room, in the other corner are pillows, blankets and beanbags. the whole room is just cozy and warm and soft.

School, but only the special moments where I'm laughing and happy with my friends.

[The Bookwyrm he/him]

@Ranryu @CalanoCorvus

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[Medium he/they]

goofy boi someone gave me rep i came and looked and just kept scrolling ig lol

[Potato's Wit she/her]

My happy place is definitely my room. I have this nice fluffy chair that I read books on. I can imagine it now, sitting there, all snuggled up in a blanket with a good book. If I had an extra hand, I would totally be holding a mug of hot chocolate. But, alas, I only have two arms. Oh well.