By Iuri Melo
It’s easy to look around and think that everyone is happy all the time. We’re constantly bombarded with images of people living their best lives, smiling and enjoying themselves. But when it comes to our own lives and emotional states, it’s not always as simple as just being happy.
The truth is, it’s okay to not be happy. We don’t have to be happy all the time, and the pressure to be so can be damaging. Emotional maturity is about being able to experience the full range of emotions, and not just the positive ones.
Rather than trying to ignore or deny the other emotions, it’s important to accept them. When we’re willing to experience all of our emotions, even the ones that are uncomfortable or unpleasant, we can move through them faster and more effectively.
It’s like a piano keyboard. It has 88 keys that represent the possible emotions we can feel, ranging from the high notes to the dark, full tones of the lower ones. We may only want to play the high notes of life, but there’s a great beauty to the contrast that the low notes provide.
The low notes can actually be an opportunity for growth, if we’re willing to look at them, be with them, and examine what they have to teach us. It’s a process of learning to accept our emotions, rather than resist them.
We don’t have to be happy all the time, but by allowing ourselves to experience the full range of emotions, we can find more peace and contentment. It’s a reminder that it’s okay to not be happy – that it’s normal to feel a variety of emotions, and that we can use them to our advantage and learn from them.
So the next time you’re feeling something other than happiness, don’t be afraid of it. Acknowledge it, accept it, and learn from it. Be happy till you’re not.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Iuri Melo is the co-founder of Copilot and has been a Licensed Therapist for over 20 years. He’s seen thousands of people like you. He’s published two books (Mind Over Grey Matter & Know Thy Selfie), one of which was a best-seller. He’s won awards for his therapeutic work with individuals, and is just a hell of a guy! In his own words: “I adore people; I’m hopeful about people. I’m always amazed at people’s ability to grow, adapt, and expand into better living & thinking. My goal is to inspire deep positive change, and change always begins with bettering our own psychology, and that is what Copilot is all about!”
