What Happiness Really Is (And Why There’s No Shortcut)
In a recent BBC article, journalist Fergal Keane reflects openly on loneliness, living with PTSD, depression, addiction, and his long search for balance. His writing isn’t about chasing constant happiness or pretending life is easy. Instead, it offers something far more honest; a grounded understanding of what happiness actually looks like when life has been difficult.
One of Keane’s clearest insights is this: happiness isn’t a permanent state. It isn’t something we “arrive at” and then keep forever. Just as sadness, fear, or anger aren’t constant, neither is joy. Expecting otherwise only creates frustration and shame.
This idea is echoed by psychologists and philosophers alike. Our minds are naturally biased toward negativity; an evolutionary trait designed to keep us safe. As Professor Bruce Hood explains, we tend to magnify our perceived failures and shortcomings. Without awareness, this bias can quietly shape our inner world.
Keane is careful to make an important distinction: practices like gratitude, reflection, and mindfulness are not cures for serious mental health conditions. PTSD, depression, and anxiety often require professional support, therapy, and sometimes medication. There is no single tool that works for everyone.
But there are practices that can support us once we are stable, especially when it comes to everyday wellbeing.
What Keane found most transformative wasn’t a dramatic breakthrough, but simple, repeated actions. Writing a daily gratitude list. Going for long walks. Reading poetry. Doing ordinary domestic tasks. Showing up for friendships. Learning when to listen instead of defending. These weren’t glamorous changes but they slowly rebuilt trust in one’s self, presence, and a sense of calm.
This is where journaling becomes powerful.
Writing things down helps us step out of mental rumination and into awareness. It gives emotions somewhere to land. Research shows that naming feelings reduces their intensity and helps regulate the nervous system. Gratitude practices, in particular, have been shown to improve mood and resilience over time, not because they erase pain, but because they help balance perspective.
Keane also challenges the idea of “toxic positivity”, the belief that we should feel happy all the time. As psychotherapist Whitney Goodman points out, anyone selling constant happiness is selling an illusion. Real wellbeing allows space for all emotions.
Perhaps the most striking insight in Keane’s story is this: happiness often follows effort, not the other way around. The work comes first. Quiet, uncelebrated, internal work. No applause. No instant reward. Just showing up again and again.
This aligns closely with what we believe at Human Format.
Journaling isn’t about fixing yourself or forcing positivity. It’s about building awareness, learning your emotional language, and making sense of your inner world, one small practice at a time. It’s about staying present through the discomfort instead of numbing it or rushing past it.
As Keane writes, the real reward of this work isn’t praise, it’s waking up without dread, noticing beauty again, and knowing you’re living in alignment with what you value.
There’s no secret to happiness.
But there is a practice.
If this resonates, we highly recommend reading Fergal Keane’s full article on the BBC. It’s a powerful reminder that peace of mind isn’t found in shortcuts, but in attention, honesty, and care.
Sometimes, the smallest daily acts are the ones that change us most.
