What about being happy has you so sad?

Don't worry; everything works out for a reason. God doesn't give you more than you can handle. Just smile, don't think about it, or don't give a frick about the things you can't change. "Thank you for the quick tools to stop my mind from trying to cannibalize itself from the inside out. I haven't tried any of those before", I think to myself. This article goes out to my fellow happy peeps and, you know, the people who are stupidly full of energy, laughter, and optimism. We have heard it all before, and it usually comes from a place of love. I want y'all to know sometimes happy people feel the suck of life and get blue. We aren't broken but may feel that way in the monsoon or rain. When you want to make others laugh and feel life's greatness, sometimes it causes you to push the blue away or minimize it. That is the craptastic part about being an optimist; we are even optimistic about the blues.

However, sometimes we need you to listen and not offer anything other than an ear. I need to work on this myself because so often, I want to “fix” things no matter what it is, but the truth is “fixing” isn’t always helping. So how do we help? Glad you asked, I know I said don’t offer advice, but this is my blog, so here we go.

1. You should offer yourself the same forgiveness and compassion you so freely give to others.
2. Understand that your brain can totally jack with you. I believe it is that part of ancient times; we were afraid of everything killing us. I often jump to the worst thing possible when my anxiety is high. Anyone? Anyone?
3. Sometimes life is hard and will bring you to your knees. It’s ok while you’re down there to rest and say a prayer. You will need to battle another day.
4. Insta life isn’t real life. People struggle, and if you live a life where you are constantly comparing, you will constantly be wanting. If you need help, seek it. When we have a fever, we take medicine, broken leg medicine, but if we have anxiety or stress, we think we can be our own healers. If you need help, seek it; yes, I know I said that earlier but seek out those who can help.
5. Eating right and exercising should help balance the force within you.
6. Listen without judging or advice. I am retraining myself to say, “how can I best help” or “would you like the advice.” Here is the deal we have already judged ourselves harshly, so we don’t need the extra layer of “that is a silly thing to worry about, or don’t worry, it will all work out.” Saying don’t worry has never helped me not worry. What helps is an empathetic ear. Often just saying the words out loud eases my anxiety and feeling of impending doom.

We are all trying our best while walking on the blue marble. We need more kindness, compassion, and warmth, and we need it for ourselves. I am generally happy, but when I get blue, it feels odd inside my body. I feel drained and at war internally. I want to force a smile and humor out, but I can’t. It generates feelings of insecurity, loneliness, and overall sucking at life. So to my internal optimists, I feel you if your sunshine is covered by a cloud right now. Remember, it is natural for happy people to feel the blue of life. Part of living is handling all emotions; that is what we discuss at Team Joyency. Sometimes the unicorns are covered by mud, and sometimes the mud is the unicorn. Lots of love, friends!