Feeling super excited from doing nothing. What does it mean about me?

[fopylo]

I've just finished watching Leo's video "What Is Happiness?" in which he talks about the difference between what we call happiness (excitement) and real happiness (contentment with the present moment), and in one reply he said that if you are able to be happy just from staring at a tree then you have gotten to the "goal" (at least from back then. Old video).
From all my meditation practice, mindfulness, gym (and health), nofap and reading I feel like my dopamine levels are so fricking high that I get so much stimuli from simply feeling the wind, looking at the sky, listening to birds. I can simply sit and do nothing but this good feeling is more like excitement and less being peaceful and calm, has an energetic vibe to it.

Does it mean I have achieved happiness? I still have problems in life though and some inner issues but overall this is a result of lots of inner work. Maybe it's just that I can get very sensitive or just high overall energy.

Would like to know since I know people here probably have gotten to this stage. It's almost scary how just being can be so satisfying. And more terrifying what if I actually do something exciting like going on a roller-coaster, won't the excitement overwhelm me to the point where it doesn't feel good anymore? I'm already excited during my mindfulness practices..

[Nightwise]

Good question. It's a bit of a tricky one too to really answer this one properly in terms that are not too confusing. I could go down the rabbit hole of my own mind trying to formulate a really concise and proper answer to this, but for now I don't have the energy to do that so I won't. I'll keep it (for my standards) relatively short.

Just talking off-the-cuff, my feeling is that these moments of grace are indeed indicative of the presence of God in that moment (or however you want to call it), but that despite of that you may still be quite identified with your feelings, and this Grace is much more something that happens to you rather than something you are able to carry throughout your day. The question is: are you still able to maintain this sense of wonder, peace and perhaps even joy when you're encountering negative thoughts or feelings? Are you able to absorb those feelings and thoughts into a greater sense of Being and peacefulness? If these moments happen to you, it's not freedom, because it's not permanent. Are you able to find a sense of peace and happiness that is much more constant and ever-present? Adyashanti calls it "the always and already". If you can connect with that dimension of reality, you don't have to wait for Grace and Joy to come along by moments and occasions of Grace, because you've already found how to connect with it under most if not any circumstances.

Honestly, I find it hard to distinguish between 'true' and 'false' happiness. Happiness is happiness. The question is just: Do you seek happiness in the realm of impermanence, where every attempt to make the impermanent permanent will inevitable fail, or will you seek it at its source, where paradoxically it will only truly come and stay if you've let go of your attachment of you needing it to be there?

But that kind of happiness has a different quality to it because at its root it is not dependent upon anything externally, or even the state of your mind, feelings or body (though it is harder to stay connected with that domain if there's a lot of survival pressure. Think about staying peaceful and calm whilst a dentist is drilling in your teeth)

Edited May 20, 2021 by Nightwise

[fopylo]

1 hour ago, Nightwise said:

The question is: are you still able to maintain this sense of wonder, peace and perhaps even joy when you're encountering negative thoughts or feelings?

@Nightwise Yeah, guess I still have work to do.

But by the definition Leo gave, it seems as though happiness from eating ice-cream and happiness from being content with the moment (being) are different things rather than different in degree. I would like to somehow reconcile it to be a difference of degree but it sounds like excitement has to do more with stimuli, while happiness has to do more with letting go and being content. Or could the degree be in what feels good in general (even though they seem like two different systems) ?