I’ve touched upon this before on my Instagram but really wanted to bring this alive in a blog. So what do I mean by dealing with happiness? Surely being happy is a good thing? Of course it is…but I think once we reach a place of happiness we are afraid of what to do with it.
This thought process all started with a day a few months back when my friend asked me “how are you doing?” My truthful answer was “I’m really good, in fact I’m really happy”, so why did I feel like lying, playing it down a bit? Why did I feel guilty for being happy?
Although advice on your wellbeing comes first, I don’t think we speak about the thoughts that often arise when we’re happy. There’s so many times when I’ve hidden my happiness because I know those around me are struggling, but in reality I should never have to lie or feel guilty about the current stage of my journey in life. We are all at different stages in our life, we’re all learning…don’t feel guilty for what you deserve. The right people will be happy for you too!
Not only do I sometimes feel guilty about being happy but I have this self destructive part of my mind that wants to think my way out of being happy, something that often comes with anxiety. “But what if this isn’t real?”, “Surely this is too good to be true?”, “Do you really deserve this?” “What if someone hurts you again?” This is something I know a lot of you will also experience. These bad thoughts like to remind us of the past times happiness was taken away from us.🧠
This is the ‘devil on your shoulder’, your anxieties, your past traumas, your insecurities. They like to think they are louder, stronger and more in control than you…but the truth is they’re only stronger if you allow them to be. One of my favourite quotes from Sarahbeth yoga is “the desire for a more positive experience creates a negative experience”. The more we overthink our happiness and long for more, the further we push ourselves away from it. Make sure you are louder than that voice of yours!
For weeks now I’ve been in a really good place, my mental disorders have been quietened and life is really good. Mental disorders take away so much from our lives that we think it will last forever or a bad day is just around the corner. But that isn’t the case you can be happy, I promise you. Mental disorders are a big part of my life but they don’t define it and they certainly won’t take away my happiness. It doesn’t mean a bad day is round the corner and it doesn’t mean it’s too good to be true. Happiness exists, enjoy it.
So what can you take away from this?
1). Enjoy the now- We lead such fast paced lives nowadays that we often forget to live in the moment. Enjoy the now and don’t overthink it, you’ll never get this moment again.
2). Be happy for yourself and for others– Be there for others and be aware of their emotions but DON’T compare your journey to theirs. If you’re happy don’t feel bad about it and if those around you are happy, be happy for them too. But don’t compare your journey to theirs.
3). Don’t feel guilty or overthink– you deserve to be happy! And if right now things seem tough, know that brighter days are coming for you!❤️
When we refer to the rollercoaster of life we are quite often referring to the lows. But what about the highs? These are what make life worth it. Enjoy your highs and learn from your lows.
Whatever happens, YOU deserve to be happy.
For now, I will enjoy this happiness of mine and continue to count every single blessing.❤️ Thank you to those who read every blog, I couldn’t do this without you!❣️
Love your mind 