Why “UNhappiness” is Healthy

by Ariel Minter

Anger. Sadness. Depression. These are “bad” feelings. Or at least that is what we have all been told from the moment we came out of the womb (and probably before that, too).  

My curiosity percolated as I was doing some research in the area of medicine and how it has helped emotional problems such as depression, anxiety, etc. I have acute anxiety disorder, and I wanted to see what I could do holistically to aide it. What I found was mind-boggling...

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“Most respondents—78 percent—received medication for their depression or anxiety, reflecting the tremendous growth of the use of antidepressant drugs in the past 15 years. According to IMS Health, a group that monitors drug sales, U.S. doctors prescribed $9.9 billion worth of antidepressants in 2009, a 3 percent growth over the previous year. They’re the third most prescribed class of drugs in the country, after cholesterol-lowering drugs and codeine-based painkillers, thanks at least in part to years of aggressive marketing.”  (Info found HERE.)

There is an exorbitant amount of time and money invested in happiness. From the pharmaceutical companies funding the research for this medication, to your best friends life goal to “just be happy” it is apparent that everyone is in the business of happiness. 

So what is this doing to the business of UNhappiness? Well, it pretty much locks its doors and expects a loss. We don’t know what to do with it, so we make it “bad” and prescribe some type of medicine to make it better. But, didn’t we evolve “bad” emotions because it was healthy for us? Aren’t they necessary, even if it is simply for biological reasons? 
 
Personally, I believe that these “bad” emotions are necessary for MUCH more than just biological reasons. Luckily, this hypothesis has been tested by professionals and new studies suggest that “Experiencing happiness alongside sadness in psychotherapy may be a harbinger of improvement is psychological well-being.” To get more facts on the variables involved in this study, you can find them by clicking HERE. 

Having a bad day? GREAT! I am absolutely an advocate for positive thinking, but that doesn’t mean you won’t have feelings opposite of that. One of Passion Provokers main teachings is how to manage ALL feelings, not to just give you a pill and some cupcake advice to get you to your next appointment.
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Want more? Join us for our upcoming workshop “Who Are You?” OR set up your FREE 45-minute consultation so you can process the “bad” to allow yourself the best good you’ve gotten yet. 
-Ariel