Joi A.
Photography by Alejo Mejia-Tejada
If you’re reading this, life is too short to be unhappy.
Many times in life, we tend to dwell on what went wrong in our lives instead of embracing the present moment and finding what makes us happy.
Throughout my life, I have struggled with dwelling on the past or future without focusing on the present and prioritizing what makes me happy. But I’ve realized happiness also stems from prioritizing my well-being and investing in relationships, activities, and experiences that positively contribute to my mental health. I’ve learned to let go of things, people, and negative thoughts that don’t bring happiness. This also required me to learn to stop holding grudges with others. Realizing that holding on to unnecessary grudges brings anger and bitterness stopped me from enjoying the people I am meant to be in my life.
Thinking back in life, I’ve always been asked what makes you happy. This question always intrigues me because I’ve wondered if I know what true happiness looks like? In life, we never fully understand our true happiness. We tend to find the happiness we need now and use it as a bandage to cover up the parts of us that we’re still healing. But to achieve our maximum happiness, we need to take the bandages off and take the time to recover from past situations to operate at our fullest potential.
Throughout my lifetime I always tend to put bandages over situations instead of healing from them. Whether it came to removing friendships or relationships that no longer added value to my life, it always hurts to let go of those who you care about. It took me turning to my faith to realize I would want temporary healing instead of taking the necessary time to heal. However, I had to realize my healing process was on my terms and not what others felt it should be. A lot of times people will want you to move on from situations in a couple hours, days, or even weeks. But nobody can put a time limit on healing because you then take those broken parts of you into other situations and it becomes a repeating cycle.
I understand how difficult it is to want to cover up those parts of us who aren’t happy and haven’t healed, but we have to heal. We have to be able to move on for ourselves so we learn to be grateful for those good things we have in life. At some of my lowest points, I turn to my faith, which presents me with this Bible verse:
“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5
When things get tough in life, always remember it is temporary. That season of unhappiness will last for a season, and you will learn something from it. When you are stuck in a moment of sadness or anxiety, take the time to embrace your journey and work to get through it. Never let anyone tell you not to dwell on your situation because you have to give yourself the proper time to regain your happiness. But always remember, you are never alone.
Joi A., Clemson University
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