Why you might struggle to enjoy good things

Have you ever noticed how some people can't fully enjoy good things, even when they finally have them?

Sometimes, when life used to be really hard, people downplay their struggles just to survive. And when things finally get better, they don’t know how to feel the joy. Why?

• They say things like: “It could’ve been worse” instead of acknowledging past pain.

• They reject comfort, calling it “excess” or “unnecessary.”

• Even when they have more, they stay stuck in old survival patterns.

• Parents who grew up poor might visit their successful children and feel out of place, uncomfortable, or even resentful.

• They think they’re being “practical,” but deep down, they don’t feel worthy of ease or pleasure.

  
  

This is self-protection. But healing means letting yourself enjoy what you once had to live without. You’re not betraying your past by living well now, you’re honoring how far you’ve come.

Treating yourself isn’t indulgence. It’s repair.

Inspired by the book “Emotional Resilience” by David Viscott.Give yourself space to reflect, to question, to notice. If you’ve done that, then my intention is already half fulfilled.

Photo by Jane Dang on Unsplash