Happiness In Adversity

“But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats.” 1 Peter 3:14

Have you ever been faced with a situation where you had to choose to do the right thing even when it was hard? And I don’t mean hard like, you’re not really a fan of the right thing, but you know it’s right so you do it anyway. I’m talking about when you don’t have the support you would like and the opposition is making that right choice seem impossible. So impossible, that you start developing ulcers and anxiety and even symptoms of depression from just the attacks that keep coming and coming and coming. You’re afraid to open your emails because you don’t know what you’ll read. You don’t want to go into the office or work on projects with that person because they’ll make you miserable. You don’t want to wear that Black Lives Matter shirt because now the neighbors will see you as a threat and call the authorities on you for no reason other than your choice. That’s a new level of hard.

I definitely know a little something about this. I’ve been faced with adversity on many occasions and the choice to do right never gets easier for me, but I try to always choose it. But I’m not here today to give you a lecture on the choices of right over wrong. I want to talk to my family and friends (yes, that’s you now if you didn’t already know!) about how to not live in angst while the adversity is coming. In spite of the turmoil that rears its ugly head during these times, I have found a way to still experience Happiness. How is that even possible? To be happy when a hail storm of fire and brimstone just won’t let up. I’ll tell you, it takes some serious emotion embracing and reframing of the mind, but it IS possible! Here’s a bit on how I do it.

Step one: give anxiety its moment. As someone who deals with anxiety on a regular basis the key to not having anxiety take over my entire life is to let it have it’s moment. That requires two things. First, I have to respect my body and mind enough to hear what it’s telling me: something isn’t right. If I don’t and just try to suppress it, it will get worse. Think about a child having a tantrum. They have a reason for the way they feel and just shushing them and pretending like the feelings don’t exist (no matter how frustrating it is) will only cause the child to scream louder or become more destructive. Second, I put a limit on the moment. When the anxious moment comes, I tell myself immediately that this is ONLY a moment. It’s going to pass. And by requiring it to pass, I maintain control of the situation, and make room for Happiness to come back.

Step two: get it out of your system. Nothing says you have to be angry or sad or scared the entire time, or that you have to pretend that everything is ok when it isn’t. So find a stress reliever. If it’s working out, hit the gym. If it’s talking about it, find your confidant to vent to. If its crying, have a good cry. And then be willing to take action. Get that frustration out of your system so that it doesn’t fester and turn into resentment. When you know something doesn’t sit right with you you do not have to just accept it. Speak out and stand your ground. Faking happiness only leads to more sadness. You’ll find that by getting it out of your system it, once again, makes room for Happiness to have its shine!

Step three: keep your eye on the prize. Justice is the prize. Peace is the prize. Happiness is the prize! No matter what the tumultuous thing plaguing you is, it does not have to be the final destination. And even when your antagonist is putting pressure on you to cave to their way of thinking, you don’t answer to them in the end. At the end of the day, there are other things more important in your life (living it being the biggest thing) that can and will provide true happiness for you! The reward is greater! The bible says “But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats.” (1 Peter 3:14) That means you can take pride in knowing that there’s something greater waiting on the other side of this moment. Press forward to Happiness.

So remember, the key to having happiness in adversity can be achieved in three steps: giving anxiety its moment, getting frustration out of your system, and keeping your eye on the prize (Happiness). Know that adversity is only temporary if you take a stand against it.