I once heard an analogy about happiness. It said happiness is like putting clean sheets on your bed. You enjoy clean sheets and it feels good when you’re in them, but sooner or later they’re going to get dirty and you’re going to need to rewash them. Achieving happiness isn’t about staying happy; it’s about understanding how to get there again and again after everything gets dirty.
I suppose a similar analogy could be derived for sadness. It doesn’t feel good when you’re lying in dirty sheets, but there’s a way out: rewash them! You’re actually supposed to be sad sometimes. It’s a natural human emotion that everyone experiences. Sadness only becomes a problem when it pushes out every other emotion.
Happiness plays a central role in our lives. It influences our well-being, health, relationships, and overall life satisfaction. Sadness, on the other hand, is often viewed as a negative emotion, but it too plays an important and meaningful role in our emotional landscape.
To dive deeper into the roles of Happiness and Sadness in our lives, I went to OpenAI, which gathers information from books, websites, academic papers, instructional materials and common knowledge and at a speed much faster than I could muster. I took the information they provided and summarized it below.
Why is it we sometimes need sadness in our lives?
- Emotional Balance and Contrast – Sadness provides contrast to our happy moments, making joy more meaningful. Experiencing sadness allows us to appreciate positive emotions more deeply and adds complexity and depth to our emotional experiences.
- Processing and Healing – Sadness often arises in response to loss, disappointment, or other difficult experiences. Feeling sadness can help us process these events, allowing us to mourn, grieve, or reflect, which are essential steps in healing. By experiencing sadness fully, we allow ourselves to move through it, ultimately finding closure and a way to move forward.
- Empathy and Connection – Sadness can foster empathy and understanding. When we experience sadness, we may become more compassionate towards others who are suffering. Sharing moments of sadness with others can strengthen bonds, create a sense of community, and remind us that we are not alone in our struggles.
- Motivation for Change – Feeling sad can signal that something isn’t right in our lives or that something needs to change. This discomfort can motivate us to make adjustments, whether in relationships, work, or personal habits, leading to growth and self-improvement.
- Mental Resilience and Growth – Experiencing and working through sadness helps build emotional resilience. It teaches us to navigate complex feelings and cope with adversity. Overcoming sadness or learning to coexist with it can strengthen our ability to handle future challenges.
- Self-Awareness and Reflection – Sadness often triggers introspection, encouraging us to look inward and examine our values, desires, dreams, and unmet needs. This process can lead to greater self-awareness, personal growth, and a better understanding of what truly matters to us.
Were you surprised to see how much good we actually get out of being sad?
If sadness is so good for us, why do we need happiness?
- Improves Mental and Physical Health – Happiness has been linked to numerous health benefits. It can reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and boost the immune system to fight off disease and illness. Happiness also releases endorphins and other “feel-good” chemicals in the brain, like serotonin and dopamine, which promote a sense of well-being and help regulate mood.
- Enhances Resilience and Coping Skills – People who experience happiness regularly tend to be more resilient when facing adversity. Positive emotions can help us recover from stress more quickly and find creative solutions to problems, making it easier to cope with life’s challenges.
- Strengthens Relationships – Happiness tends to be contagious. When we feel happy, we often spread that positivity to others. Happy people are more likely to build and maintain strong, healthy relationships. They are more compassionate, empathetic, and approachable, fostering deeper connections with friends, family and even strangers.
- Boosts Productivity and Creativity – Happiness can enhance our cognitive functions, including memory, attention, and decision-making abilities. When we feel happy, we are more likely to be productive and creative. We are more open to new ideas, take more calculated risks, and engage more deeply in our work or hobbies.
- Encourages Personal Growth and Fulfillment – Happiness often encourages a growth mindset, leading us to pursue meaningful goals and experiences. It provides a sense of purpose and fulfillment, helping us strive toward what we value most in life. This pursuit can lead to increased self-awareness, a sense of accomplishment, and ongoing personal development.
- Promotes Optimism and Gratitude – Happiness fosters a positive outlook on life. Happy people tend to focus on the good, which cultivates gratitude and a sense of abundance. This optimistic perspective can lead to a more satisfying life, with more appreciation for small joys and moments of meaning.
- Supports Longevity and Quality of Life – Studies have shown that happier people tend to live longer and have a better quality of life. Happiness is associated with reduced risk of chronic diseases, better mental health, and overall longevity. It encourages behaviors that promote a healthy lifestyle, such as regular exercise, good nutrition, and social engagement.
- Provides a Sense of Meaning and Purpose – Happiness often stems from living a life aligned with our values, passions and purpose. When we feel happy, we are more likely to recognize and cherish the meaning in our lives, whether through work, relationships, or personal pursuits.
- Facilitates Altruism and Kindness – Happy people are more likely to help others, volunteer, and engage in acts of kindness. This altruistic behavior not only benefits those around them but also reinforces their own sense of purpose and fulfillment, creating a positive feedback loop.
So, as you can see, both Happiness and Sadness play important roles in our lives, especially for people like us with Myasthenia Gravis. It’s okay to be either happy or sad at any given time; we just don’t want to stay in either one of those states beyond what is beneficial.
You can keep telling yourself you’re happy lying in dirty sheets, but that’s not being honest with yourself. You have to recognize when each emotion is appropriate and make sure you don’t completely block other emotions that may be trying to come in.
It’s appropriate to grieve the loss of a loved one. It’s inappropriate to be happy about it. It’s appropriate to be happy for a friend while watching them receive recognition for something they’ve achieved. It’s inappropriate to be sad they are receiving it.
Don’t get upset with yourself when you’re sad. Just don’t allow yourself to stay there too long. Enjoy your happiness. Just don’t lie to yourself to stay there.
I enjoy happiness in my life. I understand sadness in my life. I respect the fact that I will spend time in both places. They make me a better person.