Shared Human Experience

Life is hard.

There are ups, downs, highs, lows, successes, failures, loves, losses, times of peacefulness, and times of monotony.

There isn't a single person who is always as they appear from the outside in public. Everyone is forced to turn it off at some point.

We all struggle to make life work the way we want it to work. That even applies to people who seem to have it all put together. Even famous people. Even powerful politicians.

You knew that, though, right? I'm sure you did.

But when something negative occurs in your life, your ego kicks in and the shared human experience disappears from your mind's eye. You feel like your situation is unique -- that it's more painful or difficult than others' who are dealing with a similar issue.

But, in reality, you're not the most ... anything.

You aren't the most depressed. Or the most addicted. Or the most unqualified. Or the most qualified.

You are not the most.

And while we most often use thoughts like that to compare our abilities to others, you ought to use them in the other direction, too. When you're suffering from depression, anxiety, stress. When your sick. When you just can't pass that test. When you can't get off the couch even when you don't want to be watching TV.

Just remember, there are probably thousands of other people struggling with the same issue you have at the exact moment you're struggling with it.

Know that you're not alone in troubled times and let those negative feelings move on.