When things get tough, it’s time to focus and cope.

Finding Happiness in a Sea Of Sadness or Overwhelm

We all go through hard times. This is a fact of life for everyone. There are periods in our lives where it is hard to find much joy and happiness when we feel sad or totally overwhelmed.  

We have times when we have so much going on that we can’t think straight. This causes stress and as we’ve previously written about, stress kills happiness. There are also incredibly sad times in our lives. This is part of our life cycle. Relationships end and we lose loved ones. There is certainly a time to grieve and we need to process that loss. We need to go through the necessary stages of loss and grieving, and that’s OK. These sad moments in life will  contrast to the happier ones. Without sadness, happiness would be less meaningful. Think about that for a moment. If you’re never sad, always happy, happiness becomes the new normal, not something to appreciate and strive towards.

That being said, there are things you can do to find a little happiness during these rough times. Often that is all it takes to help you make it through this time period in your life. You can’t expect to flip a switch and suddenly everything is rainbows and roses. And why would you want that? We need time to process and grieve when we lose someone, and the overwhelm and stress helps us stay on our toes and get necessary things done. What we need is to see a little light at the end of the tunnel. We need that little ray of happiness to give us hope. And we need to take it one day at a time, one step at a time. 

Focus and Cope

Let’s talk about how you can go about creating that little bit of happiness to get you through the hard times. The first thing you may want to focus on is gratitude. Whenever you feel particularly sad, bad, or overwhelmed and don’t know how to start or where to turn, think about the many people and things in your life that you can be grateful for. If you’ve recently lost a loved one, be grateful for the time you’ve had with them and the things you’ve learned from this special person. If you can focus on all the wonderful times you’ve had with them, it will help you. If you’re stressed out at work or in your own business, be grateful that you’re growing and making progress. It may not be easy, but this overwhelm and stress usually means that much better things are ahead.

I also find it extremely beneficial to find the joy in little things. Maybe you’re not ready to be grateful, and that’s certainly alright. Instead, pay attention to your surroundings and find a little joy in what’s around you. Let that little fur baby running around in the park put a smile on your face. Enjoy the first warm rays of sunshine in the spring, or notice how beautiful that flower in your garden is. In other words, look around and find a little joy and happiness wherever you can. Above all, remember that even during hard times, it is alright and acceptable to find and appreciate these little moments of happiness and joy.