Karen Aken

It's Okay to Be Happy Karen Aken

It's hard to stay positive in this day and age. Even harder when you go through a divorce, battle depression, or lose a loved one. I know all three a little too well. I also know that to fight the sadness that comes with those life events you need to consciously work at being positive and find reasons to get up each morning. When my sister died at 27, I kept focusing on the fact that she was no longer living. I took it extremely hard and spiraled into a funk that was hard to get out of. Every moment of happiness was followed by feelings of guilt for being happy. I cried and I cried some more. When I turned 28 and reached the age that my older sister never got to be, something changed in me. I realized that I was wasting a life that my sister would have given anything to have. I stopped taking my life for granted. I set goals, found ways to put meaning back in my life, and I did silly things to cheer myself up. I also found that the more I helped others and the more grateful I was, the better I felt. My strategy helped me immensely when I lost my Dad just a few years later. My hope is that you use this guided journal to help you get out of whatever funk you may be in so that you can begin to live your life to the fullest as well. Don't take life so seriously, and definitely don't take it for granted. It's Okay to Be HAPPY.