There is a book that I have read over the last year that I have taken to heart. Its title explains it all – Furiously Happy. Written by Jenny Lawson, a comedian and blogger, she takes awkward moments in her life and puts them to paper. She writes about her experiences with mental illness, depression and anxiety. It was referred to me by my girlfriend because she saw much of herself in the book, but I think the core concept rings true for everyone.
Lawson, a long time sufferer of depression, came up with a philosophy of being “Furiously Happy” after a particularly bad time in her life. She stated that between those moments of depression she would find ways to make great moments in her life and those moments would sustain her. These adventures lead her to hug a koala in a koala suit and all of the taxidermy one can imagine. It is a heartfelt, ridiculous look at someone who is just trying to live their life day to day and sometimes those days are bad.
I think a lot of us suffer from some form of depression. From the way we look, act and feel these are all ways we can feel depressed. I personally tend to suffer through seasonal affective disorder (SAD) around Nov. 20 till about Chinese New Year. It is weird and arbitrary, but though reading Lawson, I realized I had already used the core concept of Furiously Happy to help me from my personal depression. The reason it tends to get better around Chinese New Year is because I love Chinese New Year. I’ll always do something fun, exciting and sometimes crazy. By embracing those moments that make us ridiculously happy, we can get through those times of hardship.
When we are sad or depressed, it can take a lot for us to do anything. So on those days when you are feeling OK, do something fun and wild. You’ll be happy you did it and it should make the downtime a little less painful.
– Steven Smith, Entertainment Co-Editor
