Depression, happiness, and the lesson I heard.

AHA'S AND ACTION:

Here are 2 thoughts, 2 inspirations, and 1 question for you to reflect on this week…

2 THOUGHTS FROM ME

I heard something that surprised me. If I can feel depressed, I can also feel happy. That might sound too simple, but what I mean is this: both are experiences that move through me. They are not permanent. This has been a huge relief for me in times when I feel low. I know that it won’t last. I can do something to make myself feel better. I can rest. I can avoid saying or doing things that I will regret. I have options and choices and hope. 

If someone says they are depressed and you handed them a winning lottery ticket for 20 million dollars, they probably wouldn’t say, “I can’t even look at that right now, I’m too depressed.” Or if someone was lounging at the side of the pool talking about how depressing life is and they saw a child drowning they wouldn’t say to police officer ‘I’m sorry they drowned I was just too depressed to save them’. Our feelings are a barometer of our thoughts and positive and loving feelings will guide you through life far better than resentment and grudges. 

Happiness isn’t something I have to build from scratch or find out there or go looking for. It’s something that’s always available underneath whatever I’m feeling and thinking. Low moods, heavy thinking, and tough days can cover it up, but they don’t erase it. When my mind settles, even a little, a lighter feeling tends to show up on its own. That’s been a quiet kind of hope for me — not because life is always easy, but because I know that I never lose access to my well-being, even when things get hard.

2 INSPIRATIONS FROM OTHER PEOPLE

“There is no coming to consciousness without pain.” by Carl Jung.

“The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” by Rumi.

1 QUESTION FOR YOU

When you’re in a low place, what reminds you — even briefly — that a lighter feeling is still possible?

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