OK, I'll admit it: I can get a little worked up sometimes. I can also get pretty worn down. I like to think that I'm an amazing multitasker that can do it all, but the truth is that I'm not all that great at handling my stress. Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed that I don't even know where to begin. Sometimes I'm so discouraged by something negative that I see or read that I can't focus on anything positive. With all of the hate in the world that seems to be surrounding us lately (maybe part of growing up is just noticing it more), I sometimes find myself with a crippling lack of faith in humanity which adds to my stress in strange ways. I don't think I'm alone in this, either. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association, 80 percent of college students experience daily stress, and 34 percent have recently felt depressed. That's a lot of unhappy people.
I've often been told to just "go to my happy place," which is, of course, supposed to be some figurative paradise in my mind. This is problematic for me, because if the happy place in my head is the beach, then I'm 100 miles out in the middle of the ocean with a handmade raft and a missing volleyball (apparently I have friends who don't understand this "Cast Away" reference, so here's a GIF).
No, going to the happy place in my mind is not what's going to help me relax because I rarely get there.
So, if you're reading this and you ever feel overwhelmed, lost, confused, or just not happy, I encourage you to go find your happy place. Literally, your happy place—somewhere that fills your cup so full of joy that you couldn't possibly be upset or discouraged or think about anything other than being absolutely, abundantly happy. I'm not talking about going somewhere that makes you feel "all right" or just "not bad," I'm talking about finding some I-just-walked-into-a-room-full-of-adorable-puppies happiness (on that note, if a room full of adorable puppies is your happy place, take a trip to the puppy room at your local animal shelter. If you don't have a lot of time, google "puppy GIFs," it's almost as good.)
Ideally, my happy place is really anywhere that I can witness some genuine human connection. This time of the year, I like to go to the mall, look at the window displays and lights, listen to the Christmas music, and watch people buy gifts for the people they love, because that is some contagious joy.
It doesn't matter where it is, or what you do, as long as it makes you above-average happy. I want you to want that for yourself. Everybody needs at least a few moments of pure, untamed joy every week. Go on, find yours.
