There's
this strange phenomenon that exists among the mentally ill, you see somehow despite being depressed and even suicidal, these are some of the happiest people I know
and it's all about learning to appreciate the little victories.
There's
something about sitting up at night and wondering which would be more
practical, swallowing bleach or cramming painkillers that turns you into some
sort of sun-beam-earth-child. I can say, hand on heart, that I'm so much
happier now than I ever was before my world came crashing down 2 years ago. It's
complicated, I know, but it's a way of life I think the non-dysfunctional
should take on too.
"Little
victories" is a phrase I use just about every time a friend comes to me
with a problem. I'm certain it drives them mad, I don't care, sorry guys. (Yes it is a piece of wisdom I gained from an episode of Scrubs, because where else?)
We live
in this era where it's become cool to hate things unless they're pre-approved
and somewhat edgy and to be honest it's just unhealthy. At any given time,
on any given day, I can promise you there will be fresh cut flowers in my
bedroom and ridiculously patterned socks on my feet. Currently I have pink
roses in my room and owls on my socks. I love Frank Sinatra and cartoons made
for children in the 90's and some days, when I couldn't possibly be doing much
worse, these are my little victories. They prevent my days from feeling like a
total loss and if that's all I'm given then that's what I'll take. I appreciate
nature more than ever and the parts of life that would understandably irritate
the average person, like surprise road works that last way too long, genuinely
make me laugh because life in all it's frustrating and unpredictable glory is uncontrollably beautiful and I wish more than anything that more people would see
life this way.
Our lives are full of horrendous events and the most minor inconveniences, some we can't
control in any way and yet still allow our entire being to be consumed by them.
For the people who go through life blessed with only minor inconveniences,
complaining is like second nature. The world would be a much happier place for
them if they considered the little victories during an otherwise shitty situation;
I promise you there will always be a little victory in there somewhere.
The fact
of the matter is that you just can't win every time, a lesson some of us have
had to learn the hard way, but complaining is never ever going to fix it, it's only going to further embed the negativity you feel into your mind and prevent it from escaping. Most days I feel as if a
small black cloud is following me around, my family joke that I am the human
embodiment of Eeyore, but without a doubt I am an optimist (at least for things
that don't involve my questionable mental health). A while ago I caught myself
an aggressive northern cold and as a weak southerner it floored me, and a
friend was genuinely surprised that I'd said it was okay; at least I was
enjoying getting to do nothing. The truth is, you don't know how good life can
be until you've seen it at its worst, and pretty quickly it gets easy to be
grateful for whatever you're given. In the end that's all it ever comes down
to, gratitude.
The
greatest advice I could ever give is this, take some time everyday to enjoy
life for all it is, even at its worst, at its most inconvenient and painfully
irritating. Take a deep breath and stare at the sky and realise that nothing is
worth allowing yourself to be broken down by parts of life you just can't fix.
Whatever it takes, whether it's ridiculous socks or vegetables that look like
they have faces (god I love those), learn to appreciate the little victories
and the beauty life has to offer because, honestly, life is so damn short.
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