The purpose of this article isn’t to send the message that we need to just practice “positive thinking”, but as Richard Carlson had said, be grateful when things are going well and graceful when they’re more difficult. Often times when uncomfortable emotions come and visit, most people struggle with them, trying to push them away. The purpose here is to notice when this habitual reaction is occurring and choose to do something different, “be with it”, “acknowledge it”, and be graceful as it comes and goes. This takes time to cultivate this ability and is a practice.

It is additionally a common occurrence with me, that in situations where/when I expect to feel and/or think ‘terrible’, and even prepare myself for ‘depression’ as it would make total sense realistically, that I am surprised to realize that rather than feeling angry or sad, I am actually happy and relieved, and which is just as unexpected as it would be the other way around. some of my happiest moments and thoughts and feelings were when I was struggling with cancer, after my business partner fled the state with tons of my money, and after I came out to the worst trauma of my life.