Sometimes Happy is Hard….

I think I am a fairly happy person.  But even for me, sometimes happy is hard..  What I mean by that is that I have days where it feels like I struggle to find the happy in that day.  I call them fragile days-- days where you are just feeling like your world is a little off kilter and you are feeling vulnerable. Thank God that for me, those are few and far between.  But I do have them. And I'm here to tell you that it's ok to have those days.  Now, I'm not  a minister or a therapist or anything like that, but I'll just share with you some of the ways I have found that help me deal with those days when my happiness is a little lost in left field.

Admit that you are having one of those days to yourself.  Then pray about it.  For me, I can often say things to God that I can't say to anybody else.  I can even vent my frustration and anger to him in a way that I might not with others.  And, if words fail me, there is at least some peace in knowing that He understands how I'm feeling even if I can't express it.  I find even the act of silently sitting still and just meditating about God can help calm the chaos inside.  Reminding myself that God is still in control. This quote says it all:

"Anything under God's control is never out of control."  Charles Swindoll

Admit that you need some support.  Call a friend or two or 20.  I personally hate to feel like I'm burdening someone with my problems, but sometimes you need help to carry the load.  That's what your friends are for.  Let them help you.  They are there to share in your life, both good and bad.  Proverbs 17:17 states that "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity."  I find that even just the act of sharing with my friends what is going on helps.  It may not change the circumstances, but it does help you with that overwhelmed feeling you sometimes get.

Give yourself permission to take care of yourself.  Find a way to "treat" yourself in a small way.  For me, it may be giving myself time to sit down and read a book, watch a funny movie, spending time on Pinterest, or even treating myself to a Reese's Peanut Butter cup.  Whatever it is that you can do to just take care of yourself a little bit.

Lay the burden down and walk away from it for a while.  Seriously, it's ok to take a time out.  I tend to look for something that I can do that doesn't take a whole lot of thought, but enough so that my brain is occupied with other things.  Recently, I decided to paint parts of the inside of my house.  Much to my husbands dismay, I recruited him to help ;).  So, we put what I call my beach/travel playlist of songs on the stereo loudly, gathered supplies, and got moving.  The combination of movement, music that makes me happy and brings back some good travel memories, and the mindlessness of painting  large spans of wall seriously helped.  Later that evening we joined some good friends who had invited us out for dinner.  And I spent most of the day just talking and thinking about other things.  Reminding myself that there is more to my life. And guess what I found at the end of that day?  I found my happy.  The problems, concern, and issues were still there, but they were no longer overwhelming.

Make a list.  Ok, I will stop here and admit that I am a little bit of a compulsive list maker (probably insanely so).  But, I promise that this list will help you gain some perspective.  Divide the piece of paper into two columns, one labeled problems, one labeled blessings.   And you need to start with the blessings column first.  If you are sitting there and truly can't think of any blessing, let me help you get started.  You woke up today--today is a gift given to you.  Some people do not have that gift today.  God loves you--even if you do not feel His love today.  Did you eat well this morning?  If so, that's a blessing that many others across this planet do not have.  Can you read and write?  That's a blessing that many do not have.  Is the sun out?  That's a blessing.  Is it raining?  Moisture is a blessing-- there are many places that are struggling with drought.  I think you understand where I am coming from.  Start with wide, broad blessings and then begin to narrow it down to more personal blessings, such as your are blessed with a good friend named _______ (fill in the blank).  When you are done filling in the blessings side, then go and list your problems.  This should help you with perspective. Use this list to give equal thinking time to your blessings.  Often we give our problems too much thought, and our blessings not enough.

I know that these ideas are not new ideas, but they are practical, and they do provide me some help on those days where I feel like I've lost my happy.  Life can sometimes be very painful and hard.  Having ways to help deal with those moments will help you get through. If you've lost your happy, remember that God loves you, that I love you, and it's ok to feel that way.  But don't let yourself live long term without finding some way to have a few moments of happiness, even if your happy moment comes in the form of a small ice cream snack or funny quote.

I will leave you today with a few photos that make me smile.