--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This distinction between headspace and…" description: "\"“This distinction between headspace and the emotion of happiness is an important one. For some reason we’ve come to believe that happiness should be th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd5/andy-puddicombe-57273_complicated-life_this-distinction-between-headspace-and-t_567478.png" --- # This distinction between headspace and the emotion of… ![“This distinction between headspace and the emotion of happiness is an important one. For some reason we’ve come to believe that happiness should be the default setting in life and, therefore, anything different is somehow wrong. Based on this assumption we tend to resist the source of unhappiness…” quote by Andy Puddicombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd5/andy-puddicombe-57273_complicated-life_this-distinction-between-headspace-and-t_567478.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd5/andy-puddicombe-57273_complicated-life_this-distinction-between-headspace-and-t_567478.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd5/andy-puddicombe-57273_complicated-life_this-distinction-between-headspace-and-t_567478.png) > ““This distinction between headspace and the emotion of happiness is an important one. For some reason we’ve come to believe that happiness should be the default setting in life and, therefore, anything different is somehow wrong. Based on this assumption we tend to resist the source of unhappiness – physically, mentally and emotionally. It’s usually at this stage that things get complicated. Life can begin to feel like a chore, and an endless struggle to chase and maintain that feeling of happiness. We get hooked on the temporary rush or pleasure of a new experience, whatever that is, and then need to feed it the whole time. It doesn’t matter whether we feed it with food, drink, drugs, clothes, cars, relationships, work, or even the peace and quiet of the countryside. If we become dependent on it for our happiness, then we’re trapped. What happens when we can’t have it any more? And what happens when the excitement wears off? For many, their entire life revolves around this pursuit of happiness. Yet how many people do you know who are truly happy? And by that I mean, how many people do you know who have that unshakeable sense of underlying headspace? Has this approach of chasing one thing after the next worked for you in terms of giving you headspace? It’s as if we rush around creating all this mental chatter in our pursuit of temporary happiness, without realising that all the noise is simply drowning out the natural headspace that is already there, just waiting to be acknowledged.”” [Andy Puddicombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-puddicombe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Chasing fleeting happiness creates dependency and masks the natural, stable headspace already present. **In simple terms:** Constant pursuit of pleasure distracts from inner calm. Key Takeaway Cultivate inner headspace instead of chasing temporary highs. Themes happiness mindfulness dependency inner peace Mood contemplative calming Type philosophical mindful When to use this quote - daily meditation - digital detox - mindful walking Key Concepts psychology behavioral patterns contentment Questions to Reflect On - What inner states can you nurture? - How does constant chasing affect your well‑being? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on happiness can lead to chronic dissatisfaction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Complicated life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complicated-life/) [Entire life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entire-life/) [Giving Headspace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving-headspace-4691381/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Headspace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/headspace-407680/) [Headspace Approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/headspace-approach-4691380/) [Headspace Emotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/headspace-emotion-1785766/) [Headspace Rush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/headspace-rush-4691379/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Peace and quiet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace-and-quiet/) [Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness/) [Temporary happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/temporary-happiness/) [Truly happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truly-happy/) ## Related quotes > [A constant goal of mine is to try to put myself back in the place when I wrote something - not just to perform…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-flay/a-constant-goal-of-mine-is-to-try-to-put-myself-back-in-the-place/) [K. 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Don't think any problem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/your-life-is-made-up-of-little-moments-little-efforts-little-changes/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) [Browse all 835 Complicated life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complicated-life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“This distinction between headspace and the emotion of happiness is an important one. For some reason we’ve come to believe that happiness should be the default setting in life and, therefore, anything different is somehow wrong. Based on this assumption we tend to resist the source of unhappiness – physically, mentally and emotionally. It’s usually at this stage that things get complicated. Life can begin to feel like a chore, and an endless struggle to chase and maintain that feeling of happiness. We get hooked on the temporary rush or pleasure of a new experience, whatever that is, and then need to feed it the whole time. It doesn’t matter whether we feed it with food, drink, drugs, clothes, cars, relationships, work, or even the peace and quiet of the countryside. If we become dependent on it for our happiness, then we’re trapped. What happens when we can’t have it any more? And what happens when the excitement wears off? For many, their entire life revolves around this pursuit of happiness. Yet how many people do you know who are truly happy? And by that I mean, how many people do you know who have that unshakeable sense of underlying headspace? Has this approach of chasing one thing after the next worked for you in terms of giving you headspace? 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