Stop pretending to be pseudo-strong, choose to be happy instead.
Not expressing sadness or pain is passe, it doesn't make you strong, just plain unhappy.
Did you grow up believing that strong people don’t feel sad or at least don’t let the world know they’re sad? And when they feel heartbroken or upset, they keep it to themselves? Those were my beliefs when I was growing up.
I was so inexpressive that on the rare occasion that a few tears rolled down my cheeks, people would be really surprised and would assume something must be very wrong because they had never seen me cry.
It all changed a few years ago when I was so down in the dumps, that it became impossible to keep my emotions under control. I felt so broken that I cried more than I had in my entire life till that point of time. It wasn’t in front of anyone but at least I cried and did not push my emotions down a dark tunnel like we’re encouraged to.
Those times changed me for the better and I couldn’t be more grateful. I’ll tell you why.
We are HUMAN. We’re engineered to FEEL and EXPRESS our emotions.
When we restrain ourselves from expressing pain, we automatically (without wanting or trying) program ourselves to also hold back from freely expressing our joy.
By opening myself up to emotions and allowing myself to express them freely, not only have I gained the ability to LET GO OFF pain SOONER but also I’ve found myself feeling joyful more effortlessly. It happens because joy and sadness travel HAND IN HAND. When you open up to one, you also open up to the other.
Just this morning, I was watching a video of mountain gorillas in Rwanda and those creatures were so cute and joyous that I teared up! Watching them express their joy made me so happy that I (legit) wanted to hug them.
I find myself experiencing more joy and more pain because I allow myself to be moved by things rather than steeling myself against the world like pseudo-strong people are expected to. No emotion is permanent; the tide that rises also ebbs. Then why shouldn’t you allow yourself to feel freely?
The more open you are to your emotions the more quickly they’ll COME and LEAVE. It’s the healthy way to live. It’s also the happier way to live. I want to be HEALTHY and HAPPY. And you?