The Pursuit of Happiness

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by CJ Llewelyn, author of the new Chakras and the Vagus Nerve.

The pursuit of happiness can leave us feeling miserable. This sounds a little odd, but hear me out.

Everyday, people walk into my office suffering from anxiety and depression, which are not emotions but states of being. At the core of these states is avoidance of feeling more difficult emotions. They’ll do whatever it takes to keep from the discomfort of sadness or anger: staying too busy, dissociating, drinking heavily, complaining about others, binge eating. They say, “I just want to be happy.”

But, we can’t just be happy. We’re complex beings. Our emotions are our Soul’s response to life’s situations. Sadness tells us we’ve lost something. Anger charges us to set boundaries. Fear sends signals that we’re vulnerable. If we ignore these, we create despair that sits in our psyches and—one way or another—will demand attention.

How do we pull from our internal resources if we refuse to notice what’s occurring within ourselves? Our wakefulness, our willingness to be present to what’s happening in the moment, helps us. Mindfulness pioneers refer to this as living our full dimensionality.

If we let go of and become present to what’s within us, we release the exhaustion of pursuit. One of the main principles of Mindfulness is acceptance. If we’re sad, we’re sad. If we’re tired, we’re tired. When we know these things we can meet our needs in the moment. Then we can develop self-compassion.

Attuning to our physical system can also allow us an opportunity to know if we are feeling threatened or safe. While awareness of safety is integrated into our human experiences, that is only one aspect of our reality. Emotions are deeper. Even in their intensity they have softness and are a guiding light. They are energetic and deeper. Our body is the human overlay that registers safety. Being aware of the differences and how emotions present through the body, requires us to be mindful and present.

Allowing this full dimensionality is how we create a kinder, softer, generous new reality for ourselves. It is our joy. It is not a feel-good pursuit as much as it is noticing and making space. It’s awareness without pursuit.

Our thanks to CJ for her guest post! For more from CJ Llewelyn, read her article, “Healing Past Trauma with the Chakras and the Vagus Nerve.”