"You just need to focus on the bright side." "Why aren't you smiling?" "Stop crying!" Sound familiar? Yeah, that's what a lot of us have to hear. And a lot of the time, it comes from people close to us, like friends or family. Most of the times, they mean well. They want us to be happy. But we can't always be happy. We have so many complicated emotions, rational or irrational. Whether it's a mood swing or a serious rut, it's easy to concentrate on the bad. That's when we need other people around us. But you can't heal from negativity if you're not allowed to experience it. Bottling it up can lead to repressed emotions and feeling nothingness, or even an explosion later on. That's what I have to live my life like. My parents hate to see us be ungrateful. Sure, feeling negative emotions has a limit, though. You shouldn't feel down in the dumps all the time, or you'll forget what lightness and laughter feels like. Don't do that. Don't think that if you have enough negative experiences, you'll deserve to be pitied. It may seem hard to believe, but the moment you start to take yourself seriously, other people begin to follow. So cry. Take your time, but not all of it. Cry, but don't bite back your smiles, either. <3
