Do you ever just pretend to be happy?

RedPillGunslinger

New member
I'm a really honest person so I don't like pretending to be happy, but I do to a certain degree. Like, if somebody makes a stupid joke, I'll at least crack a smile.
 

pinkputter

Well-known member
I think everyone pretends to be happy at some point. Not just people with SA.

On a day to day basis, I think it's good to at least try to be optomistic. If that means smiling when normally you wouldnt, I think thats a commendable thing.
People should smile more.

But whatever you do don't be happy for the sake of some one else. Be happy for you. Be happy cause you want to get better. Not to appease some one else. Not to find joy in something false.

This is a complicated subject because I think recovery for SA to a large extent is based on being honest with yourself. But if we're so honest that we never get better cause we're just feeling sorry for ourselves, that will not aid to recovery at all. Look for things you can be happy about. Negative thoughts are usually very irrational. Find happiness in true things so that you are not pleasing other people.
 

Slash

Member
Yes and I'd actually convinced myself that i was happy for quite some time it is only so long though until cracks began to show on surface though. I'm now just more accepting depression than trying to hide it with a facade as I was before.
 

of_darkness

Well-known member
i don't just look happy when i should be annoyed or upset, i can fool myself too. If i really should be upset by something i'll just smile and laugh it off, even just to make the other person feel better if they've done something wrong.
But when i don't care about the other person/people i can still just laugh, it seems better than struggling to speak and risking looking weaker. (I don't actively think that in my mind, it's just the way it happens)
 

pookie

Member
I never let people see me sad, but the truth is that I am most of the time. it's not easy to pretend all the time.
 

LifeInShadows

New member
I have to pretend to be happy most of the time because when I used to show my misery, people (including friends) would just get to the point where they would tell me to shut up. Most people don't want to be around someone who's that miserable, so pretending to be happy is a necessity in my life.

Personally, I'd rather be around other people who are miserable and complaining because I'd have so much more in common with them than annoying, loud-mouthed, airheaded happy morons.... but that's just my take on it all.
 

Reidus

Active member
I haven't looked happy since 2003. I've been miserable and depressive and I've let it show. I just dont care.
 

louieann34

Well-known member
gothic_tiger said:
yeah i pretend to be happy sometimes just because i dont want to depress other people.

I will sure agree with you Tiger...I use to pretend sometimes that I am happy for the reason that I don't want my family love ones or even my friend be depressed also...I love them and I don't want them to feel depressed just the way I feel.
 
Someone on this thread said "don't be happy for the sake of some one else". That kind of got me thinking just now, I may actually know why I have this uncontrollable urge to smile every time.
When I was in love with my first best friend, that's when I used to smile for real. As a child I used to be happy also. When things sort of went wrong, she told me she wants me to be happy and I promised, and maybe that's why I wear the mask and I've rarely ever taken it off. Then there's another girl I love and the odd thing is I had forgotten about the mask because she made me feel happy and I actually smiled for real. I like it and I want to smile more for real but things are going downhill now I guess.
I got a lot of kids who look up to me and people who I cannot afford to show a depressed face to. I still pretend to be happy and I guess I got no choice.
I also pretend to laugh when something is or is not funny.

But today I got something to think about, I'm going to try and stop being happy but it's going to be hard for me to go against the promise I made. I mean, who the heck cares if I'm happy or sad, so why should I pretend to be happy.
 

David26

New member
Yeah sometimes because I don't want to change their mood with my problems and at the same time after pretending like that my mood changes. :lol:

David.
Self Help Zone
 

Fighter86

Well-known member
Nope, not really. But then, I guess no one really knows that I'm unhappy, they think all is fine and dandy. To be honest, I'm not really unhappy, I just go though the motions day after day after day, not happy or unhappy. But I do think about what I really want out of life quite frequently and it gets me upset and I cry myself to sleep sometimes :( I just switch off the lights at night so my family think I'm sleeping and cry myself silently to sleep so no one knows :cry:
 

Sylvie

New member
Yes i do. I do pretend to be happy wheni am very unhappy. I do it just not to show show others that i am unhappy because many people are happy to know that you are unhappy and other peopel are happy when they know that you are happy.
 
Top