Our elder has some reassurance for a letter writer who just needs to hear that everything will be OK.

Will gratitude help the sad times pass?

 

Dear EWC

I’m at a bad place, I just need to hear someone tell me it’s going to be okay.

 

Gabriel-A replies

I give you credit for being honest in your assessment. The good news is that you have the whole world in front of you. It’s common to be discouraged for any number of reasons, so remember that you are not alone. You can try many careers, so I would recommend that you don’t give up on your current dreams yet. You have plenty of time to pursue them and in a worse case, leverage those skills into another area if need be.

In regards to being in a bad place, write down what is causing your current feelings. If it’s more than one issue, that’s ok. Next to them, list what action you could take that would improve your attitude. In my experience, writing this kind of analysis down helped to give me clarity on which way to move forward. Most importantly, taking positive action makes all the difference. The worst thing you can do is sit around and rehash negative thoughts. Remember that although bad things may happen to us, we still have the ‘choice’ as to how we react to them.

From personal experience, I can assure you that you will not remain unhappy indefinitely. In life our happiness will ebb and flow. I’ve found that by living in a spirit of gratitude, my sad times are shorter in duration. Each morning I try to remember and be thankful for the many blessings in my life. This frequently includes simple things that we often take for granted like a warm shower, the ability to hear and enjoy music, see a sunset, having good health, eating a favorite meal, etc.

Article #: 490305
Category: Career