In the article, 14 Habits of Highly Miserable People, author Cloe Madanes explores the ways in which people can hone their skills in this area. She starts with “Be afraid, be very afraid of economic loss,” and ends with “Be critical.”

With each habit, she includes an exercise to develop the unhappiness that goes with it. I found the habits and exercises illuminating. It illumines how a person can make their life unsatisfying without even being aware of it.

She also describes the benefits of being miserable. You wouldn’t think there would be an upside to this, but there always is or it wouldn’t be worth it. Only when someone reaches a point where the benefits no longer outweigh the detriments will they begin to change.

Although this is written in a tongue-in-cheek style, it’s a great commentary on how to avoid being happy. Even though it’s about being miserable, it’s also enlightening on what not to do in your life. If you want to have a happy and fulfilled life, these are habits you should avoid.

Read the article, and see if you spot any of your habits in her list. If you do, you might want to think about changing them.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart