Friday Fix: Are You Afraid to Be Happy?

In this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast, Amy Morin, LCSW, presents a "Friday Fix" - a brief, actionable tip or exercise to help you manage a specific mental health issue or challenge.

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Friday Fix: Episode 233

At first glance, you might wonder why someone might be afraid to be happy. But if you think about it a bit longer, you might recall several times when you experienced an aversion to happiness.

An aversion to happiness can take a toll on your well-being and life.

Maybe you received an award and felt so much pressure to live up to the expectation that you were afraid to allow yourself to experience the achievement.

Or perhaps something really good happened, and you were so afraid that those happy feelings wouldn't last that you didn't allow yourself to feel happy for even a minute because you were afraid that things might come crashing down.

You might have also found yourself in a difficult spot in life. For example, maybe you were grieving the loss of a loved one, or you were going through some tough financial times, and you felt guilty laughing or having fun.

These are just a few reasons why it can be challenging to allow ourselves to be happy sometimes. But just like it's unhealthy to avoid an uncomfortable emotion like anxiety, an aversion to happiness can also take a toll on your well-being and life.

In this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast, Amy Morin shares findings from research on why people are afraid of being happy, the impact it can have on your life, and what you can do about it.

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If You Liked This Episode, You Might Also Like These Episodes:

• Friday Fix: How to Stop Self-Sabotaging Your Relationships
• Friday Fix: How to Stop Feeling Sorry for Yourself
• Friday Fix: How to Stop Dreading the Future