Somewhere along the way we have been fed this idea that we need to be happy. All. the. time.
It can come from our family, friends, society, and social media. We’ve lost the capacity to be able to tolerate sadness, fear, anxiety, despair and loss. The problem is, that life is full of these feelings. They show up constantly, no matter how hard we prepare or how much-guided meditation we do. If we can’t tolerate our difficult feelings then how can we cope with life itself?
I’m not saying that you need to be OK with despair and fear, I’m suggesting we don’t try and eliminate them from our spectrum of feelings. Many people come to counselling because their strategies for holding these feelings at bay stop working. They can no longer outrun anxiety and loss, yet they can’t tolerate them either.
Next time sadness comes knocking don’t panic, welcome it tenderly and give yourself the space and love to feel it. Let’s be clear, I’m not talking about depression, I’m talking about sadness. Because if you feel it, and accept that it is part of the human spectrum of feelings, you also become aware that it comes and goes just like happiness.
Kareena x.
Kareena Hodgson is an accredited Counsellor and The Manifesto is her professional consultancy
Follow me on Instagram @themanifesto_counsellor
Kareena Hodgson was a full-time professional international circus performer for 20 years, who is now an accredited Counsellor and The Manifesto is her professional consultancy. She is uniquely suited to working in the mental health space within the performing arts. She is also the Senior Editor, Executive Coach & Moral Backbone of Carnival Cinema.
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