Happiness is a choice.

You ever wonder why so many people disagree with this? It’s because it’s not one. At least not at first. You have to lie to yourself for a very long time before those lies start to become truths, but in doing so, you’ll discover the power of choice.

A true choice is not taken on a whim. It’s a commitment. Anything else is false. If you’ve committed to your sadness, don’t expect your whim for happiness to work.

I don’t approach a body builder who’s made that true choice for his lifestyle and expect to lift as much as him just because I chose to at that moment. So why would I look at his accomplishment and tell him it’s not a choice? One he so clearly made.

If you’re depressed, you’re the bodybuilder of sadness. So I wouldn’t expect you to have any clue on how to be happy. Guess what? It’s just as hard as being miserable because just like anything you give yourself to, it’s a commitment. It’s not easy.

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Ryannnnnn · 31-35, M

Yup I get that. I dealt with depression for 10 years, traumas, anxiety, you name it.
The only time things changed was when I did something about it, learned to take care of myself, make choices that would make me happy.

The last 6 months have been especially hard, but everytime I felt very low I'd call someone, take a walk, run, lift weights. Didn't always work straight away but good habits create happiness also. I wouldn't listen to sad music and think bad things.

Chemically for a small percentage of people it isn't a choice but that's rare. That and some can't afford therapy (hell even I can't really).

Reject · 26-30, M

@Ryannnnnn Yes! The biggest point I want anyone to take from this is that I only got help when I did something myself that was up to me. It’s a very active thing that you make happen and because of that. It’s hard. You seem to have figured that out which is farther than many people with mental issues have gone.

Its true there exist chemical imbalances in brains that will force sadness no matter what, that’s why the trick is learning to love that shortcoming and start seeing it as an asset. A strength. You’ll only discover how it can be that once you’ve fought it so many times you know it’s every move and how to counter it. Overcoming yourself is the lesson here.

You do exactly that when you form a positive habit that you can stick to as you have. It doesn’t always work, for those who have exceptionally bad mental illnesses, it’s not going to work at all for quite some time. Thus you lie to yourself and say it’s working and then commit everything to that lie. One day, you won’t see it coming, but you’ll notice things are just a little bit easier. At that point, you’ll have been fighting with no reward for so long that it won’t matter anymore. You’ll solider on anyways because you’ll realize it wasn’t actually about having an easier life. It was about embracing the hard one.