Crucially, choosing happiness does not erase pain; it reframes our stance toward it. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy advises making space for difficult feelings while moving toward values (Hayes et al., 1999). Hedonic adaptation reminds us that moods drift, yet repeated practices can reset baselines over time (Brickman & Campbell, 1971). Neuroplasticity offers the mechanism: neurons that fire together wire together (Hebb, 1949). Thus, on harsh days, the choice may be modest—one breath, one call, one kind sentence to oneself—but chosen again tomorrow, it becomes a life. [...]
