Unhappiness: the more we resist it, the more it clings to us.
Unhappiness is an integral part of the human experience.
We live in a world that constantly pushes the idea that happiness is the ultimate goal, the prize at the end of the journey, and anything less is a failure.
We’re bombarded with messages that tell us to avoid sadness, mask our discomfort, and “stay positive” no matter what. But the reality of life is far more complex.
Unhappiness is inevitable.
It’s an integral part of the human experience. Ironically, the more we resist it, the more it clings to us. Only when we stop resisting unhappiness and embrace it as a natural part of life can it lose its grip on us?
One of the greatest sources of suffering isn’t unhappiness itself but our resistance to it. We tend to label our emotions — joy is good, sadness is terrible — and then expend enormous energy trying to avoid the “bad.”
We bury our sadness under distractions, numb it with entertainment, or deny its existence altogether. I know this; I have done this.
As psychologist Carl Jung observed, “What you resist persists.” By pushing away our unhappiness, we give it more power over us.
It’s like trying to hold a beach ball underwater. The harder you push it down…
