I was always striving for happiness, I mean who isn’t. But for me, if I am not feeling “happy” I am feeling “worried.” Thinking…

Why aren’t I happy? What do I have to do to be happy? What is going on?!

Granted these are all good questions, and if you aren’t feeling happy you need to do some self-reflection and ask yourself these questions to help figure it out. There are lots of resources available to help you if you are feeling this way because you are not alone.

The reality is feeling that you need to be happy ALL THE TIME is impossible.

I know I have chatted about this before but this has always been my issue with social media.

I LOVE social media. I am happily on Instagram, LinkedIn, Substack, and Threads (from time to time!) But I am also UBER aware what I see, particularly on Instagram, isn’t always real. I think so many people feel the need to project perfection on these sites. Back in the day, I am sure I was one of them.

But then I got wise. (Somewhat, you know me, I am #AlwaysLearning)

My sites are all me, authentically, imperfectly me.

That feels good. I also tend to follow people, for the most part, who share that genuine vibe.

Also, I don’t mean this to judge anyone who is doing a curation site because there are many reasons for that too – professional work, where you are at in your life, what you want to do, etc. No judgments from me. You do you!

So what does this have to do with joy?

Everything.

I found the more comfortable I became in my skin the easier it was for me to be myself.

As a result, I was clear on what I was meant to be doing so those joyful moments were easier to recognize.

I share it all, the good, the bad, the ugly. With the caveat that, I don’t share EVERYTHING. Keeping some things personal is important to me but for everything I do share, I am open and honest.

This brings me joy.

I am not happy all the time. Not even close. I have been struggling immensely this last year with my mental health. It hasn’t been easy for me. I am doing everything I can do to help myself. Talking to my therapist. Working through all the strategies she gives me. Talking about it with those I am closest to. I am doing my best.

During this dark period, I have also had some incredibly JOYFUL moments that have kept me going.

Both things can be true.

I am choosing to celebrate those joyful moments when I have them. In life. On social media. Wherever the mood takes me.

Those moments really helped me through tough periods. I now know that I won’t be happy every day, but I will have moments of joy (sometimes they will be a lot more frequent than other times), and being able to recognize and celebrate them is what makes me happy.