Sometimes it feels hard to be happy even when everything in life seems to be going our way. Imagine having a health condition or some sort of physical obstacle that made each and every day just a little bit more challenging. Having an ongoing mental health concern can start to make someone feel tired, weary, and less enthused about life.

Anxiety disorders, for example can cause someone to feel tense, worried, nervous, and cynical, as the anxiety keeps them on constant alert for negative things that may possibly happen. Trying to feel an overall sense of happiness and well-being is difficult when you are frequently expecting the worst. Depression can range from mild to severe, and someone may lack energy as well as the ability to care about much of anything.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, or OCD, can be distracting and keep someone in an endless loop of obsessive thinking, and compulsive behavior. PTSD, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is another that can cause challenges to normal functioning. With bad experiences, or trauma, being re-lived through nightmares, flashbacks, or general anxiety or hypervigilance, it becomes difficult to feel peace and contentment, and a basic level of happiness.

Fortunately, there are resources available and many excellent solutions to living with or healing from most of the mental illnesses and disorders. With the right help and support, even the most difficult disorders to live with can be managed in a way that allows for normalcy and happiness. No matter how many resources are available, though, it can be a very difficult thing for someone to reach out and ask for help or support when they’re struggling. None of us wants to feel like we are creating any sort of burden on those around us, and it’s sometimes embarrassing to admit that we are going through something difficult.

In a phase of difficulty, life may seem overwhelming and unmanageable, and sometimes people feel like their only solution is to end their own life, or to die by suicide. This can particularly be the case if someone has experienced ongoing pain, has gone through significant loss or losses, if they are isolated and not connected to others, and if they have lost their sense of purpose. If they also feel like a burden, they may stop being able to see solutions, or no longer be able to see that things can get better.

Anyone, 24/7, can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or just dial 988. They have trained listeners, and they also have a vast database at their fingertips where they can start helping you look for resources and places to get help and support. Other resources can be trusted & supportive family members or friends, church counselors or leaders, licensed counselors, and support groups. Who is your most trusted resource, that you could talk to if you started feeling hopeless and frustrated?

There are solutions to almost every problem that we experience in life. Even for the situations where there is no “fix” or we can’t change a situation, there are ways to manage or heal from situations. Time, if we’re patient enough, often gives us very different perspectives on life and allows us to get past things that seem overwhelmingly negative in the moment.

If a difficulty isn’t going to be solved with just time, or may even get worse before it gets better, this is when you need to make sure you’re putting support in place so that you don’t feel like you’re going through difficult life experiences all alone. Find support groups, get a counselor, and form genuine connections with someone else who can be a voice of reason, who can be a calming influence, and who can help see solutions and hope when you aren’t able to. Happiness is hard to find when life is throwing negatives at you, so removing the negatives, managing the difficult times, and making sure you have support will make all the difference.