“How do we find happiness in times of grief?”

It’s not going to go away. It’s inevitable. Losing someone is one of the hardest experiences a person can go through. It’s like you’ve stepped in front of a train, full speed, with all your regrets bottled inside your mind. Grief really is just this crazy feeling. It impacts our lives with such force that not even the toughest walls could withstand. War takes over our minds, and it deprives us of the ability to focus. We don’t have a choice. This grief withstands anything. It makes us feel overwhelmed and unhappy, lacking joy. It feels as though it’s impossible to find this happiness ever again. 

Grief is something that sticks around, like a sibling or family member who promises to never leave your side. But this time – it’s in a different connotation. We as humans desire comfort and acceptance from the peers around us. We want them to stay with us; stick right next to our side, attached hip-to-hip. Grief is the friend that stays put right next to us, even though we don’t want them to. But is this grief good? 

Yes. It is. Grief is good. Believe it or don’t. I can’t make you do anything. It’s not up to anyone else to decide whether you accept grief with open arms or not. Grief is this idea that allows us to express ourselves. It lets us pour everything that we had stored within ourselves to come out. It’s almost as if you were a soda can that was shaken up, but the lid was opened and you just exploded. This explosion is filled with feelings and emotions that we can’t explain. 

Whether you want to admit it or not, letting these feelings go feels good. You no longer have this stress and sadness squeezed into your mind. It allows you to think about other things. Allow yourself to grieve. In the end, it will lead to you finding happiness. If we don’t allow ourselves to feel the feelings that our own body wants us to feel, those feelings will eventually stay and come up. They won’t go away unless you allow yourself to feel them. Grief is truly the path to happiness. To find this happiness, it’s important to go through grief. In times when you think nothing could ever bring you out of this deep, dark hole, allow yourself to feel those emotions. Let yourself live life in the moment, don’t try to move on. Grief is inevitable. Allow it to be. True happiness comes in the end when all the emotions are let go.