Oh, the joy. Doesn't it appear to be so simple?

I never imagined I'd be writing something public about what happiness means to me. Because that's the thing with happiness: it's so individualised. What makes one person happy won’t make another person feel quite the same, and as a consequence, I don’t want this essay to become a handbook or even some type of ‘Agony Aunt’ advice clinic. Rather, this is just me, having been inspired by a brilliant talk on literature and happiness, attempting to sort out what I think being happy means to me.

Why do we want happiness?

It appears that happiness is the current obsession. It seems like society is saturated with ideas on how to be happy, the importance of being happy, from feel-good playlists on Spotify to bullet journaling accounts on Tumblr, to Instagram's inspiring picture stories from Humans of New York, Facebook's videos of real-life heroes, and my new Positively Pooh book I bought for my birthday.

On the other hand, this constant barrage of happiness can put pressure on individuals to be happy even when they aren't. Pretending to be happy can sometimes lead to things being worse. Late last year, I went to see A Pacifist's Guide to the War on Cancer, a musical. Yes, it was a cancer-themed musical. To say the least, I was fascinated. I went with two companions to watch it because I was confident in the ability of The National Theatre, Complicité, and director Bryony Kimmings.

I've never been affected by a piece of theatre in my life. There wasn't a single person in the crowd who wasn't crying, and I don't mean crying.The importance of being happy is being delivered to us in a bucket load. It makes me wonder to what extent does the world around me shape my desire to be happy.

"I would say that I am happy, but at the same time I am acutely aware that I have low self-esteem," says the writer. "I often am rather pessimistic when it comes to my endeavours," she says. "When something gets me down, I don't think that means I am unhappy necessarily," she adds. "Happiness for me is mostly an external process, defined more so by the happiness of others, then positivity is a much more internal thing for me"

Happiness is important to him, so he tries to make himself feel positive and confident. He lists things that make him feel happy and positive. He also has a gratitude diary and a song lyric at the top of his weekly plan. 'I am surrounded by the most wonderful, lovely, kind, generous, fun, determined and ambitious group of people in the whole world,' he says. 'Even if I think my day has been horrible, I have to find something good in it.

And do you know what? I always do! The things in my diary range from 'The man who was singing out loud while walking down the high street listening to music through headphones to 'IT'S CHRIIIIIIIIIIIIISTMAAAAAAAS!!!!'

Here I share my  view of happiness. I sing in a choir, does pole fitness, goes to the theatre and does a degree that i love. I also eat a lot of chocolate and will always opt for a cosy night in over a crazy night out. I am  gradually learning to accept that some days won't be as productive or joyous as others. I believe : 'Not all days will be good days and they happen all the time. I smile a lot Tah-dah!'