You Don't Always Have to Be Happy, You Know
On forgetting about how you "should" be and focusing on how you ARE.
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Presented by AG1 by Athletic Greens:
Sometimes I feel as though I’m not supposed to ever feel unhappy. I want to be a sunny part to everyone’s day — not just for my friends and family, but for this community. Lately, though, I find myself going through bouts of feeling subpar — for a myriad of reasons I won’t break down now. Most days, I wake up, go about my morning routine, have this period where I feel invigorated and excited as though I’m finally going to beat this stuck feeling that overtakes me regularly as soon as I get to my desk, and then — BAM. As though I’m having an out-of-body experience, I watch myself get complacent. Sit in the stillness. Feel unmotivated. Walk to and from the kitchen a half-dozen times procrastinating doing more … nothing.
This feeling, it’s not constant. There are parts of my day that really do excite me. And I’ve even seen some of my favorite people over the last couple weeks! But I’d be remiss if I didn’t just come out with the fact that overall, I feel stagnant. And that stagnant feeling? That’s really damn frustrating, mostly because I know that I have the tools. I’ve dealt with this before. I’ve come out on the other side. And! I know that I will be able to do it again. But in the interim, I’m sitting here with my angry fingers tapping this warm keyboard experiencing an audible ugh-worthy feeling deep in my chest.
I was talking about this pacing around my sun-drenched living room on the phone with my life coach the other day. She told me that I can’t let my “thinker energy” get in the way of allowing myself to actually feel all of this ugh. As someone who likes to have a plan A, B, and C, I laughed. She’s not wrong. The next morning in my journal, I wrote down the sentence “happiness is on the horizon.” Later that morning, I was scrolling through TikTok and found a creator named Dev. She made this print with a similar sentiment:
It’s OK not to be happy all the time. In fact, the broad spectrum of emotions we oscillate through regularly make us human. I would never want anyone to think that I am immune to dissatisfaction or these moments of ugh. Or, that you’re only allowed to process the not-so-good feelings alone. The good news? I’ll get through it, and it won’t last forever. While sitting in my feelings is difficult, I’m getting better at allowing myself to do just that — in between consciously making time for activities from my joy list that make me smile.
It feels good to find smiles in the stillness. Keep hurdling,
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
What I’m Reading: “Walking Just 10 Minutes a Day May Lead to a Longer Life” from The New York Times
I ended up on a 5.5-mile walk yesterday while listening to a podcast. I originally went out to buy a loaf of bread. (I never got said bread.) This New York Times article highlights a study of movement and mortality published this week in JAMA Internal Medicine. The results indicate that even a little extra physical activity by each of us could potentially stave off hundreds of thousands of premature deaths over the coming years. Anyone else jumping on the mental health walk bandwagon next week?
What I’m Listening to: Insight Timer App Meditations
From Chelsey: “I've been working on calming my mind and practicing morning meditations, and so far I've really liked the (free!) Insight Timer app! There is a dense library full of episodes, workshops, live events, and recorded workshops. As someone new to meditation, I like all of the different options when it comes to topics, authors, and episode length.”
What I’m Watching: 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible on Netflix
This documentary came out in November of last year, and I just sat down to watch it this week. It follows a mountaineer, Nirmal Purja, as he embarks on a seemingly impossible quest to summit all 14 of the world's 8,000-meter peaks in seven months (!!). If you liked Free Solo, you’ll love this.
Quote I’m Loving: “There is no passion to be found in playing small - in settling for a life less than the one you are capable of living.” — Nelson Mandela
Thank you to my sponsor, AG1 from Athletic Greens, for supporting this week’s newsletter!
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🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE: 192. Dr. Robin Berzin, Founder of Parsley Health
I am enamored by Dr. Robin Berzin. I chatted with the Parsley Health founder for episode 192 — a holistic medical practice available digitally nationwide and in-person in New York and LA. We talk about her backstory and how she came to found Parsley after graduating from Columbia, and then get into the nitty gritty on what it was like to work from an entrepreneurial mindset. We commiserate about the current state of healthcare in America, and really dive into what holistic medicine is and WHY we should all want to know more. Plus, Dr. Berzin sheds some light on the things that we can do in our everyday life to live better that don't involve prescriptions. And! She shares all about her new book, State Change.
🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE: Essential Financial Tips For 2022 With 'The Budget Mom' Kumiko Love
Money can feel a little awkward to talk about. But at the turn of a new year, it's a great time to take a step back and look at your finances. This week, I'm bringing Kumiko Love, AFC, better known to her massive social media following as "The Budget Mom," back on the show to give us her top tricks! Love talks me through her best-practice tips for better financial health, from tracking your spending and creating a budget to planning for retirement and maximizing your earning potential. A huge congrats to her, as her new book My Money, My Way comes out next week!
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Check out one of the Hurdle Sessions, now available on the Hurdle website:
How to Start (and Stay!) Running
How to Take Your Running to the Next Level
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How to Turn Your Side Hustle Into Your Main Gig
Finding Your Power Alone
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Media Strategy for Fitness Professionals
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Another (weekly) Hurdle conquered. Catch you guys next week.