How are changes made?

I'm a simple guy, and I try to live a simple life. But sometimes (and by "sometimes" I mean "for the last few months") I feel like all the thoughts in my head have been tangled up together in a big undoable knot that looks something like this:



Is this normal?

Is this the mindset of adulthood?
I hope not.
But if it is, I don't really want to grow up.

Is it just because I think too much?
Possibly.
My mind, though it seems unfocused at times, is always devoting its electric pulses to one facet of life or another.

Is it because secretly, deep down inside, I secretly don't like the nest I've made for myself?
Yes.
But I think, to a degree, we all deal with that problem.

But even so, I'm just not happy,
and I never want to become the frustrated suit with a short temper.
I don't want to be the one that flips the bird at the car following too close,
or the the boss that flips out on the intern for no reason,
or the angry drunk who looks for someone to fight at the bar,
then finds her at home instead.

But what do I do to get happy?
I know I've got to slow down.
Stop shooing away the minutae of life with mind-alterers
and start welcoming them with open arms.

I know I need to start living right.
Thinking. Reading. Challenging. Expanding my mind.
Instead of sticking to the same old routine of mind-numbing entertainment from the big black box in the corner.

But what else?
How else do I start on the path to a healthier body,
and uncluttered mind
and a simpler, fuller life?

I'm going to keep searching for the answer to my question,
but, if you have a minute or two, I'd like your help, too.
How do you get happy?
How do you calm yourself?
How do you fill your days with happiness and serenity?

Tell me.
Because lately mine are full of something else.
And it smells awfully bad.