If you have ever felt the uncomfortable pressure and expectation to be happy and cheery all the time, then you are not the only one. Nowadays it is almost taboo to feel sad and unhappy when in reality it's actually healthy to acknowledge those sucky feelings. Because let's be honest: being happy all the time is EXHAUSTING.

I'm here to dispel the unrealistic expectation when it comes to happiness and how hard we try to always seem happy, even when we feel really sh*tty. There is a huge difference between genuinely feeling happy and faking happy to avoid questions from people, or because people expect you to be happy 24/7. Happiness is a lifetime goal and something that takes a lot of work to achieve, however it's important for us to understand that being cheery and upbeat all the time is unrealistic and quite frankly draining.

It is absolutely OK to feel sad and down; faking happy is detrimental to your mental and emotional health. It's important to recognize our feelings and try our best to not combat human nature; you have feelings for a reason and it's healthy to feel them deeply. Putting up a "happy front" is sheltering the real you from shining through which hinders your mind and soul from growing.

Most importantly, don't fake happy just to please everyone else. That fake-it-till-you-make-it attitude will only get you so far. There will be days where you don't feel like answering your phone or even smiling! On these off days, your forced happy-go-lucky attitude has the tendency to neglect the peace within yourself because you're so busy keeping the peace with everyone else. By putting a stop to the somewhat never-ending "happy streak," it gives you the time to look within yourself and allows others to see your most genuine self, which can help them to feel more human and relaxed as well. Grant yourself a day to feel everything on a deeper level so you can bounce back even better the next day, you will thank yourself.

Sometimes all you need in this life is 12+ hours of sleep and a cup of tea or a glass of wine to feel like yourself again. So do it; there is no need to explain yourself. Because throughout our time here on Earth there will be bumps in the road, you will take 2 steps forwards and 10 steps back at times... but guess what: that's life. And once we accept life for what it is and ride its waves, we will be able to manage our attitude and emotions that much better.