"The Elusive Quest for Emotional Longevity: Because Who Needs a Lifetime of Happiness Anyway?"

Introduction

I don’t feel like this is rocket science.  Well, except that I kind of do.  It seems like so many people I know are on this quest for eternal happiness, that the next best thing will make them happy, but never really take the time to look at themselves for the answers.  We look externally for answers.  Even when we look in the places we think we are supposed to look - to healers, doctors, psychologists, astrologists, ministers, gurus, experts, etc., we fail to feel that deep sense of peace within; the calmness that only comes when we have looked within.  

About 12 years ago, I embarked on the not-so-secret mission of our generation: the quest for emotional longevity. I looked for it everywhere, I mean literally everywhere - I traveled to far corners of the globe, went to churches and places of worship, went to nature, and the deep jungle, I looked to my past generations, and I looked to the medical professionals.  I read so many books and listened to audio until my headphones hurt my ears.  I sat in ashrams and on tops of mountains listening to the quiet and to meditations.  (And this is just off the top of my head.) And at the end of it all, it wasn’t until I began peeling back the layers, WITHIN ME, (with the help of others) that all of the experiences, the knowledge, the sense of wonder started coming together into a deep feeling of calmness within me. 

What is emotional longevity, you ask? And why is it so elusive? Well, it's that mystical state of being where your emotions are supposed to last longer than a sneeze but shorter than a Marvel movie. And yet, despite our collective efforts, it seems as elusive as finding a unicorn at a fast-food drive-thru.

The Pursuit of Instant Gratification

In a world obsessed with instant gratification, emotional longevity stands out like a tortoise at a hare convention. We want everything pronto — from our coffee to our emotional fulfillment. Because who has time for patiently waiting for happiness when there's a microwaveable version available, right?

Emotional Fitness: A Myth or Reality?

Picture this: You, in spandex, doing emotional squats and lifting the weight of your past traumas. If only emotional fitness were as simple as hitting the gym. We'd all be emotionally ripped by now, flaunting our toned empathy muscles. But alas, life's emotional gym is more of a cosmic jazzercise class with no clear end in sight.

And that is where the elusiveness comes in - there really is no end.  Daily we are faced with experiences that bring forward parts of us we have yet to meet.  

The Social Media Conundrum

Ah, social media, the virtual playground of emotions. We seek emotional longevity in the form of likes and comments, forgetting that real life doesn't come with a "share" button. It's as if we believe the universe will reward us with eternal joy for the perfect Instagram filter or a clever tweet. Spoiler alert: It won't.

This one always is a catch 22.  I participate in social media and then I find myself getting caught up in it so I leave it.  When I leave the platform, I feel, deep in my being, so much more calmness, so much more at peace.  And then I feel like I can harness that sense of being and bring it back into the online world and more often than not, it is the platform running the person not the person using the platform.  

The Happiness Industry

Enter the happiness industry, where joy is a commodity you can purchase faster than you can say, "I'll take two serotonin boosts, please." Because nothing says emotional longevity like a self-help book promising eternal bliss, delivered straight to your door by a smiling, digitally enhanced life coach.

Am I making fun at my own industry - you bet I am!  There is so much noise in the world today and everyone has an answer - myself included haha!  All I can do, all you can do is feel in to your being and connect with a person that you will may offer 10% more happiness to your life.  Because that is what “it” (therapy, coaching, spirit guides, gurus, courses, detoxes, etc) are about right, having someone support you as your transition from the space you are in to the space you want to be; and usually that space is something like the one the coach is showing you they live in.  

The Inevitability of Ups and Downs

Life's emotional rollercoaster has more loops than a tangled slinky. We're told to strive for balance, as if emotions can be neatly organized on a spreadsheet. Spoiler alert #2: They can't. It's the emotional equivalent of trying to juggle water balloons – messy and bound to result in a few splashes.

The hard part about the noise in the world right now is we often look externally for answers and we feel that once we complete “x” we will feel “y” and that will be that.  Except it’s not, because life is going to happen and throw us for another loop and we are going to have to navigate that one.  It’s at this point that emotional longevity comes in to play - have we looked within, learned enough about us, released parts of ourself that are no longer serving us so that when life happens, those parts of us aren’t the dictators of the emotional rollercoaster.  

Strategies for Sustainable Emotional Well-being

Now, let's talk about real strategies for emotional longevity. Step one: Breathe. Step two: Recognize that life is a tragic comedy, and we're all just awkwardly stumbling through it. Step three: Embrace the chaos because, learn to feel the rage, the grief, the disappointment, the joy and the calm, because in the end, the most sustainable emotion might just be laughter.

That is honestly the most basic answer out there.  And within those basic elements comes SO MUCH back story, and that backstory when felt and peeled through, in my opinion, is the key.  This makes it seem easy.  And easy seems sexy.  But it’s not, looking at yourself and meeting who you are is truly the most difficult and complex relationship you will ever have.  It is also the best.    

Conclusion

In the grand scheme of things, the pursuit of emotional longevity is like chasing a unicorn with a glittery horn made of dreams and unfulfilled expectations. But let's not forget to enjoy the journey, my fellow emotional explorers. Life's a sitcom, and we're all just waiting for the punchline. So, here's to embracing the sarcasm, navigating the absurdity, and finding joy in the quirks of our emotional existence. Cheers to a lifetime of laughter, tears, and the occasional facepalm!

I make light of this journey because it is the light that brings out the dark.