Happy Resistance - Ep. 399

Strength is often measured in terms of brute force,  If someone can fight oppression, then they must be strong, of course! But sometimes power doesn’t need to be expressed at arm’s length, For the ability to endure without collapsing is true mental strength!   [full text below] Ep. 399 - Happy Resistance We begin as always  with the Happy Creed. We believe in Happy,  in Balance and Growth,  of being Mindful and Grateful, Compassionate and Understanding. Yowza Haha My Happy Friends! Strength is often measured in terms of brute force,  If someone can fight oppression, then they must be strong, of course! But sometimes power doesn’t need to be expressed at arm’s length, For the ability to endure without collapsing is true mental strength! I’ve often been told I’m too emotional by people who consider emotions to be weak, And those very same people then resort to destructive habits as a coping technique, When I, instead, recommend learning how to manage one’s emotions and moods,  Through Happy thoughts, practices, and habits, like exercise, good sleep and healthy foods. When tragedy befalls me, I don’t bottle it up, I express it, I let it out, I process, This is not being too emotional or weak, this is dealing with it so that I don’t obsess, So that I don’t let it fester and rot and turn me furious, manic, psychotic or numb,  I don’t view my moods as things to be feared or avoided because, to me, well, that’s dumb. That is misunderstanding the very nature of the human heart and mind, Which help us to self-regulate our lives in the face of society’s daily grind, If you deny your own ability to deal with life, then you’ll fight yourself every day, You’ll fill yourself with shame and hatred, call yourself weak and throw your humanity away. I used to try to fight my emotions because that’s what everyone told me I should do, Unless it was anger, that was okay, so I became a vandal and a pyromaniac--wouldn’t you? I drank, I smoked, I did drugs, I was mean to myself and to others--what a tough guy, right? I got speeding tickets, I got into fights, I cut myself, and plotted revenge at all hours of the night. I got arrested, I lost friendships, I got in trouble at work, I called people names, I talked back and acted like a jerk, I’d show them, I vowed, I’d make them regret it one day--they’d all see! But this self-made poison wasn’t hurting them, it was only killing me. The world didn’t owe me anything, I finally realized, it was the other way around,  We’re all just trying to get through life as best we can, from delivery bed to burial ground, And we should make use of all the resources we have and all the help we can get,  It’s not weakness to train yourself to handle extreme emotions before you get too upset. Fighters don’t wait until they find themselves attacked to learn what to do, They practice every day to get so good that it becomes second nature. and so can you, Because life is a challenge for everyone, we all face the same potential for bleakness,  And trying to just white-knuckle your way through isn’t a strength, it’s a weakness. Thanks to my regularly practicing dealing with my moods, and not shying away from them, I have greatly improved my ability to deal with what life throws my way, from joy to mayhem, From tragedy to triumph, because both extremes can lead to imbalance that can derail, So, if anything--I’m less emotional in the sense that instead of collapsing, I prevail. We all face challenges, no one gets away clean, And all we can do is our best, whatever that may mean, So, raise your own level of expertise to be able to stand strong,  And come what may, you’ll withstand the onslaught and wind up where you belong. Haha Yowza