Let's Talk | When Happiness is Difficult
3:05:00 PMI must admit, writing this entry whilst wrapped up in a gigantic cozy blanket, sipping on a delicious flat white and enjoying a luxurious hotel room for the next few days seems contradictory, I had to write these thoughts down.
Often times we find ourselves 'stuck' in the daily struggles of our every day lives. Things tend to fall into a mundane routine: sleep, work, eat, work, sleep, work, eat- you get the picture. Waking up tends to become more of a struggle and we find ourselves dragging our bums to work. Now if you don't fall into this category and you absolutely love your life, job, friends and family, then I salute you. It's more difficult to see the good in life then it is to see the bad. I am writing this for those that can't help but stop and feel frustrated, hopeless, down and lost. I'm writing this because I too have found myself 'stuck.'
Let me start things off by saying it's totally normal to feel bad about your life, about where you are and how your career is going. It's totally normal to feel burned out, tired, lost, confused and messed up. It's normal. No one, no matter how perfect their life may seem, ever truly has it all figured out. We all have our problems and we all have our issues and we're all struggling. The key is how to deal with it.
Whenever I feel down and lost, I tend to get envious and compare myself to those around me.
"But she has this"
"Why don't I have that"
"They don't even deserve it"
"Why can't I have it all like her?"
"My life is so difficult. Why can't I catch a break?"
"I work harder and better, but why are they more successful?"
We can ask ourselves these questions and more over and over again and never know the answers to any of them. I know I always say to not compare ourselves to others but let's be honest- there are definitely times when that's all we find ourselves doing. And guess what? That's normal too.
Here are some points I want to share (
No one's life is perfect- no matter how much their Instagram feed says so.
I love Instagram. I love waking up and scrolling through my feed in bed and seeing what the world has been up to. It's a fun app that allows us to share our favorite moments, crazy adventures and fantastic selfies (it's alright to post a selfie now and then, just don't over do it!) but that's all it is- an app. Remember that what people post on Instagram is what they want the public to see. From the color themed feed to the carefully laid out flat lays and outfit shots- Instagram has become a way for us to showcase the BEST parts of our lives. Not the entire picture. Nobody's life is as perfect as their Instagram feed is. Everyone has their bad days too, they just don't put a filter and post it.
You have your good days too.
What I've been trying to do lately is list down all the 'little miracles' and 'little victories' I've experienced in my life. Whether it be a good parking slot at a crowded mall, the last piece of delicious cake at the restaurant or a good cup of coffee (or cups- let's be honest) I make a mental note to myself of each of these instances and file them carefully in my head for future use- for when I feel like my life isn't going anywhere. When you take the time to feel bad about your life, you should also be able to take the time to appreciate all the little great things that have happened to you. The problem we have is that we seem to only focus on the bad that happens, forgetting the good. So the next time you feel horrible, like things aren't going your way and you want to give up, try to look back and remember all the little instances where you won. When life went your way and things turned out great. I guarantee you that those 'little victories' won't seem so little anymore.
Being stuck in a 'rut' is a chance to try something new.
When your back is against the wall and you can't seem to get out of your rut, see it as a challenge. Make yourself find a new way to rise above the hardship, the frustration, the negativity and the struggle. When you look at your problem in a different light, chances are you won't feel so helpless about the situation. Whenever I feel like I can't move on from a problem, I try my best to see it as a way to exercise my creativity. When you change the way you see your problems, you can change the way you deal with them too.
Remember that no one has their life figured out 100%. I know I already said this but I feel like it's something that needs to be repeated. So tell yourself everyday that it's okay to not know everything, to not know what it is that you want to do exactly, and that getting stuck is part of the process. We all have our struggles and we all have our issues but what's important is that we're all given the chance to grow and rise above it.
4 comments
You did it again! Great entry! I actually miss reading posts like this one so I really hope you'd do more! =)) Anyway, this is so relevant to my situation right now. As a young professional, we tend to have this big picture of what we would like to achieve in life - good work, beautiful family, name it!!! However, life has its own way of surprising us, that most of the time, things just don't go according to our plan, hence we get frustrated, disappointed and helpless. Hay! When the situation overwhelms me, I really make it a point to pray, and pray hard.
ReplyDeleteThis entry is a good reminder actually to look beyond the struggle. We have to remember that to be a champion, first, we have to endure endless training, hardships and criticism. So yeah! Life may be hard sometimes, but sometimes it is just a matter of perspective.
Hope you'd continue to write entries like this one.
God bless, Karla! :)
Aww thank you for your amazing comment- it means a lot to me when people really take my entries to heart and feel the same way. I'm sure that whatever it is that you are going through right now is for something much greater and grander than you can ever imagine. Just keep praying as you do and God will handle the rest! :) God bless you as well sweetie! :)
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ReplyDeleteHi Ms. :) Still remember me? It's been a while since I last visited your blog, sorry. Busy lang. Kamusta ka na?? Sana okay ka lang, and it seems na okay ka naman, masaya ako na nakikita kong masaya ka na sa work mo sa radio station, sana magtagal at sana mag continue na masaya ka. Ayun nga, gusto ko 'tong entry mo, bakit lagi nalang sakto sa pinagdadaanan ko yung mga entry mo? Pareho ba tayo ng pakiramdam? Hehe. Late ko man nabasa pero siguro way yun ni Lord para pagaanin yung pakiramdam ko.
ReplyDeleteAkala ko, ako lang yung may pinagdadaanan na hindi pa din alam kung ano ba ang gusto sa buhay, yung madaming insecurities, at yung madalas i-compare ang sarili sa iba, alam ko naman na hindi dapat kasi unique tayong ginawa ni Lord pero hindi naman maiiwasan, diba? Lalo na kung yung ibang tao nakikita mo na parang umuunlad na yung buhay o nakita na yung gusto nila sa buhay tapos ikaw andyan pa din, nakaka frustrate kasi, nakaka down, nakaka depress.
Ayun, thank you Ms. sa entry mo, pinapaalala mo sakin na hindi ako mag-isa, na prayer lang palagi ang katapat ng success o pagsubok man. THANK YOU! :) Sana, ma-meet na kita, ang tagal ko ng gustong mangyari yun. :)
Godbless!
Thanks for reading my entry! I hope you enjoyed it. :)