Freelancing to Freedom

Sometimes, no matter how much you try to focus on the positive, no matter how much yoga and meditation you do, no matter how grateful you are for your life, happiness will elude you. I know, a rather depressing opening line, but there’s a happy ending, I swear.

Obviously all these things I mention are common themes in my blog. But I want to emphasize that sometimes we just get the blues. And that’s okay. We’re human.

Go ahead. Take time to wallow in it. Indulge in a guilty pleasure like a huge plate of nachos and a terrible movie. And then get out of your head!

Your mind is a powerful thing, baby. So pinpoint what exactly is getting you down and work your mind around it. Are you stuck in a rut? Longing for a beach vacation, perhaps, but can’t afford to take the time off right now? (Ah summer, so close I can almost taste it, but still March . . .) Figure out exactly why you’re craving that vacation – relaxation? change of scenery? new experience? Can you somehow recreate those things right here at home? Obviously this is just one example, but take the time to think about what you actually want, not just what you want at surface level.

Sometimes new inspiration is closer to home than we think. The other day I was feeling a bit trapped in the city and wanted nothing more than to be in the mountains. Since that wasn’t an option at the time, I opted to sit by the river in an area away from traffic. The effect on my mood was essentially the same.

Take pleasure in very simple things. And don’t feel guilty if life gets you down. Guilt is useless. Happiness can be hard work. But if you’re willing to work hard for a career or money, why wouldn’t you work hard for happiness?

Disclaimer: I don’t mean to trivialize serious mood disorders. In this case I’m speaking generally about those days where you just feel ugh and unmotivated.

On another note, I realize that I didn’t write about my goal this week: Go with your gut. Well, I went with my gut for this post. It’s what I wanted to write about. So there.

This week’s goal: Volunteer.

Song of the week: “Deep Blue Sea” – Radio Moscow. Little bit of a blues number for you.

Namaste 🙂

Rachel

My happiness.