Coping With Happiness

     But what should you do if you find yourself feeling all wrong this Grey Day? Instead of joining in the collective sombre melancholia, you find yourself feeling chipper, even joyful? You can’t put your finger on why you feel this way and you’re not sure how to react.

     We’d like to share an excerpt from Coping With Happiness in case you’re struggling with feelings of glee or jubilation on this special day.

     1. Know that this, too, shall pass. If you or a loved one is experiencing feelings of happiness during what would ordinarily be a time of gloom or dejection, trust that all feelings are fleeting and that these, too, shall pass, even if it doesn’t feel that way at the moment.

     When we experience these intense emotions, sometimes it feels like we’ll never be sad again, but every joyous feeling you’ve had has passed before. This one will, too. Accept that these feelings of bliss are difficult but remember that you’ve made it through every other difficult emotion and this time is no different.

     2. It’s okay to let it out. If you just need to laugh or sing, that’s okay. If you feel the need to dance, you can dance. We all need to dance sometimes and no one will think less of you for it.

     Sometimes denying yourself permission to feel the way you feel can make it harder to process and overcome those emotions. Giving in and just going with the flow can help you understand the way you’re feeling and come out stronger on the other side. Let yourself feel these feelings of joy and let them out instead of trying to keep them pent up inside you.

     3. Take a break and come back later. If you’re working on a project or activity that seems to be exacerbating these feelings of optimism and vivacity, it’s okay to walk away for a minute and come back when you’re feeling a bit more grounded. You don’t have to power through continuously.

     4. Journal to explore your feelings. Ignoring feelings of happiness or pretending they’re not there won’t make them go away, but sometimes just sitting with those feelings is too hard. Journaling can be a great tool to explore those feelings and better understand where they’re coming from.

     Don’t worry about making your thoughts cohesive or making sense in your journal entries. Your journal is for you to explore these difficult feelings of jubilation, not for anyone else. If writing a whole entry feels daunting, try making lists. Think back on all the times you felt gloomy or wistful and list them out, or list things you can still do while feeling happy. Maybe crying dramatically in front of a window while looking out over the thunderstorm raging outside is beyond what you can do while feeling so joyful, but you can manage a few tears in the shower. Be patient with yourself through this difficult time and use your journal as a private place to explore these possibilities.

     5. Listen to sad music or read a tragic story. They say “fake it til you make it” for a reason. Sometimes you just need to get the tears flowing and the despair will return on its own. If you’re of the literary ilk we recommend Sad Peophin Stories, or perhaps Math Puzzles to really bring back the feelings of distress.

     If you’re feeling exceptionally giddy and really need help, you can pay a visit to the Neopian Music Shop and purchase yourself a new instrument. Then you’ll have terrible music to listen to on top of feelings of frustration and inadequacy. It’s a win all-around. If you buy an exceedingly expensive instrument you can have financial insecurity weighing you down on top of it all. It’s a recipe for dolour - five stars, guaranteed to bring upon suffering.

     6. Go for a walk and get outside. This tip works best when the weather is all gloom and doom. On a bright sunny day in Faerieland this is not recommended, but when thunderclouds roll in and rain begins to pelt the ground, stepping outside and being pelted yourself can bring you down when you’re feeling a bit too peppy. If you get really lucky the Pant Devil will come upon you and steal one of your prized possessions. It’s hard to feel cheerful when your favourite toy gets stolen.

     7. Compare yourself to others. Tried and true, guaranteed to bring you down… they don’t say “comparison is the thief of joy” for no reason! If you’ve got some misplaced joy you need to be rid of, take a stroll on over to the games room and look at all those high scores, then compare them to your own. Admire the art in the art gallery but don’t think about how you could be in there too if you tried. Instead, tell yourself you’ll never be that good so you might as well not try.

     8. Talk to a professional. Finally, if these feelings of happiness are seriously intense or long-lasting and they feel beyond your capacity to cope with on your own, talk to someone. Professionals are trained to be non-judgemental and to help you cope with these complex and difficult emotions, and there’s no shame in seeing one. It’s hard work, learning to process your merriment and get past it, but with consistency and time you’ll find yourself feeling less happy, or feeling happy less often, and by next Grey Day you’ll have internalized these coping strategies to put the happiness behind you.

     We hope you have found this excerpt of coping tips helpful and that you’re feeling a bit more grounded and grey for having read it. If you appreciated the excerpt and fancy reading the full book, head on over to the Magical Bookshop to get yourself a copy.