Happiness is not being pained in body or troubled in mind.

Happiness gets defined by subtraction here: not the presence of delight but the absence of pain and agitation. That is a low bar and a surprisingly demanding one, because most people only notice it once it is gone. An afternoon with no ache in it and no dread running underneath is worth more than it feels like at the time.

If you are in pain right now, this is not a standard to fail. It is a reminder that relief itself counts as something. And on the days when nothing hurts, say so to yourself, because naming an ordinary quiet hour as good is a habit that pays when harder ones come.