The other day, I was presented with an interesting question while being a panelist on PSTV.
“Does happiness take a lifetime to achieve or do you believe you experience bursts of happiness?”
As I took 30 seconds to come up with an answer, I thought about what really defines happiness.
I remember saying that happiness is something that I think comes with bursts of happiness mainly because I don’t think happiness is something necessarily achieved. It’s not like story book endings where everything wraps up in a neat bow.
I don’t think people reach a point where they feel happy for the rest of their lives. It’s not like a person reaches a point in their life where they say “Well, from here on out, I’m happy.” That’s just not realistic.
I’m generally a positive person and have even been told I have resting smile face, but that doesn’t mean I’m always happy. I think people feel ashamed for ever getting symptoms of depression, when, in reality, it’s something that I think comes natural with life.
I’ve had days when I’ve been super happy and I even think in my head, “Wow, you’ve really got it together.” But on the other end of the spectrum, I have had days where I feel totally hopeless and sad. I’ve even had days where I experience both of those feelings in the same day.
That’s life.
It’s a constant roller coaster. It’s important to know that you aren’t the only one going through all the crazy twists and turns in life. Everyone gets sad once in awhile. We just don’t always share it with others.
April is national counseling awareness month, so if you’re feeling alone, know that you’re not. Know that if you need help, there are people out there who won’t judge you. You never know who might be going through the same sort of feelings.
Even if you don’t feel totally depressed or sad, it’s OK to reach out for help. There’s a lot of pressure in the world to seem totally together. However, there is a lot of strength in being vulnerable enough to admit that there’s something that isn’t so perfect in your life.
Email at Kavita Singh at cp@cardinalpointsonline.com
