Somehow, I developed kind of an antipathy against trends. Maybe, I am just a stubborn woman, but I prefer to choose myself when I do something and if I do something. Up till today, never watched The Lord of The Rings or read the books about Harry Potter (nope, not seen the movies either). I do not live underneath a stone, so I am aware of the latest fashion-styles, new technical developments or household products. I studied various foods-trends and one of my guilty pleasures; I follow the Kardashians every now and then.
A new trend seems to have arisen:
UNHAPPINESS
Don’t get me wrong, it is not my intention to minimize the struggles many of our neighbors have to go through each day. On the contrary!
Mental illness, is a real disease. It will affect a person’s life, including the people closest to him or her. Hence, it will take over a person completely. Absolutely nothing to be ashamed of, because how I see it: People with this condition don’t wake up one day and decide to be mentally ill.
I therefore recommend to be open, for instance, about not feeling adequate enough or feeling alone. As I wrote in my article about depression; when you can’t find your way out of the darkness, you should reach out to someone.
However, there is a difference between mental illness and unhappiness:
To only focus on the positive, on being happy all the time, I believe is unhealthy. It is denying your limitations, it is not accepting your flaws. It means not embracing ALL of you and that will lead to never be able to love yourself; for the unique Beautiful Soul you are.
It is OK to have a bad day, to worry every now and then, to feel insecure about a choice you’ve made. When you lose someone close to you, it is normal to grieve, to feel sad.
It is OK, to be unhappy every now and then.
To me, it is also perfectly normal, you deal with that in your own unique way. It could help to go for a walk to clear your head, listen to your favorite music for a few hours, sleep an extra hour during the day, relieve your troubled soul with creating a piece of art, practice your favorite sport (for instance with the guidance of David – Chape Fitness), treat yourself with a huge ice-cream, talk to your best friend…Whatever helps to Boost Your Soul.
As I wrote above: mental illness is a real disease. Being unhappy on a DAILY base, for a LONG period of time isn’t something you, normally, choose. It is not a condition easily cured with a walk in the forest, or a happy song. If you suspect you have succumb to this, take it seriously.
Unhappiness on the other hand, should not be taken too lightly either. Take a sick day if needed, force yourself to take a step back for a short period of time, breathe, relax. Treat it for what it is: a warning sign of your body to re-energize.
However, unhappiness shouldn’t not have to become the next trend.
15 Responses
It was not an unpleasant day at work. Yet, when I left, I was irritable, and needed a change of scene. Perhaps it is the amount of BS that has been thrown at me, of late, by certain people- mostly outside of work. So, it is refreshing to be here, at the local library, whilst my laptop is in the shop for repair. This state of unhappiness is not my nature, and is therefore to be temporary.
Ah dear Gary, as always you share wisdom: this state of unhappiness is not my nature, and is therefore to be temporary. Beautiful truth!
As I know you will be sleeping the moment I type this, hope you were able to sleep well and gained new energy for a new wonderful day. XxX
I did, thanks!
I really appreciate what you shared and I agree…unhappiness (as opposed to depression) is part of living…sadness, for example is an emotion most would rather avoid, but it is an appropriate response to any number of situations…to deny ourselves our full range of emotions is–as you say–a denial of our whole selves and experiences. Thanks for sharing this thoughtful and educational post 🙂
Hi dear Truly,
Thank you for connecting again! Always a pleasure to read your posts and heartwarming comments. XxX
Great article, Patty. Yes it is okay to be unhappy once in a while but if you are unhappy all the time, maybe it is time to assess your situation.
Hi Kally 🙂
Yes, that’s why I recommend(ed) in such case to reach out to someone 😉
Unfortunately, I noticed, especially by the younger generation, a growing ‘trend’ to confuse feeling blue a bit with depression. It worries me, because I feel in many cases, slipping into a mental illness can/could be prevented.
XxX
I guess it because we are so distracted by technology that we stop speaking to each other. Friends are not friends that meet up in real life but through social media behind a computer screen. So hard to tell through mere words if the person is just being emo or depressed.
True. As a counselor I know some tricks to ‘see behind’ the words, but indeed…it’s more difficult.
Sometimes I wish we are back to yesterdays. Life seems so uncomplicated then without technology.
Haha, but then you might not have build your current career for yourself and the amazing website MiddleMe.net.
I also think more people would still hide their feelings and felt they where weird or something wrong with them.
That’s quite true. Maybe technology is the price to pay moving forward.
Well… I like to belief we can combine ‘natural’ and ‘technology’ in life.
Will send you an email this week again, to catch up 😉 Due to the distance it has to be virtually, but I am glad that is a possibility 🙂
Haha. Okay, technology is great linking people around the world like you and me. I get it. Otherwise, I’ll have to wait for months for your mail to reach me. ?