Loa’s Blog

September 17, 2019

Fake It Till You Make It

When I am struggling, I think it is important to let those feelings out so that they do not consume me or lead me in a downward spiral.

It has been brought to my attention that the general tone of my blog is positive. However, just because I choose to focus on the good and positive things in life does not mean that I do not have bad days. Sometimes it really does just suck! There are days and moments when I get overwhelmed by the fact that it is neither ideal, nor easy to live with the hand that I was dealt. 

While I typically keep these moments of struggle to myself, I think it is important to let those feelings out so that they do not consume me or lead me in a downward spiral. I am a strong proponent of crying. I believe that it is cathartic and cleansing. When I am struggling, I like to have a good cry, let my feelings out, rub some dirt on it, and move on to enjoy the things that are good in life. This, however, does not mean that there are not occasions from time to time when I wallow for a bit.

I also keep a few select confidants. Because society at large does not need to be burdened with my self-pity and woes, I restrict my whining restricted to a close family and friends who I rely on to not judge me and support me through emotional lows. I believe that having an outlet to whom you can vent is extremely important.

I have found that there is an incredible ability to be uplifted by faking one’s own happiness. There is a song by Nat King Cole called Pretend, which goes “Pretend you’re happy when you’re blue, It isn’t very hard to do, And you’ll find happiness without an end, Whenever you pretend …” Whenever I “pretend” to be happy even when I am not, I find that eventually the fake happiness I put on for the rest of the world suddenly becomes real and eventually I am no longer pretending. 

Happiness seems to be contagious and when I greet the world with a smile. Whether real or pretend, I see that my happiness lifts up the people around me who in turn lift me up. I try to greet the people I meet, whether they are those I already know, or a stranger on the street with a smile. One of the best compliments I have ever received was when a professor at my university whom I passed every morning told me that when I smiled, that I did so with my whole face and eyes. Because I did so, he said my smile was beautiful, true, and sincere. 

Speaking of smiling, there is another Nat King Cole song called Smile, which has been an inspiration to how I live my life. I cannot pull just a quote from this song because I must recommend that you listen to the whole thing so that “You’ll find that life is still worthwhile, If you just smile.” So, for the days where life just sucks, sometimes you have to fake it until you make it.

The views expressed by Loa are not necessarily the view of the Ventec Life Systems, its members or the clinical board. These blog posts are the personal experiences of Loa. The blog posts are not intended to provide clinical advice or training related to VOCSN. Always consult a physician or trained clinician prior to using VOCSN. Please refer to the VOCSN Clinical and Technical Manual for detailed instructions, including indications and contraindications for use. VOCSN is available by prescription only.

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