“Give yourself permission to feel good.”

Give Yourself Permission to Feel Good

Too often, we walk around believing we don’t deserve happiness until we’ve checked off some imaginary list of accomplishments. We think we need to suffer more, work harder, or fix all our problems before we’re allowed to feel good. But here’s the truth: you don’t need to earn the right to experience joy. You were born worthy of feeling good, just as you are.

Feeling good isn’t selfish—it’s necessary. When you allow yourself to experience positive emotions, you become more resilient, creative, and generous. You have more to give others when your own emotional cup is full. Think of it like oxygen masks on airplanes—you need to secure your own before helping others. The same applies to your emotional well-being. By giving yourself permission to feel good, you become a source of light rather than someone constantly operating from emptiness.

This permission slip for happiness isn’t about ignoring life’s challenges or pretending everything’s perfect. It’s about finding balance—acknowledging difficulties while still allowing moments of pleasure and peace to exist alongside them. You can be working through grief and still laugh at a funny movie. You can be stressed about money and still enjoy a beautiful sunset. Both realities can coexist, and embracing joy doesn’t diminish the seriousness of your struggles.

Start small if this feels uncomfortable. Maybe it’s savoring your morning coffee without guilt, or taking five minutes to sit in the sun without checking your phone. Notice how your body responds when you mentally tell yourself, “I deserve to feel good right now.” Many of us have been conditioned to believe suffering is somehow more noble than happiness, but what if your joy is actually your greatest contribution to the world?

Remember that allowing yourself to feel good isn’t a one-time decision—it’s a practice. Some days it will come easily, and other days you’ll need to gently remind yourself. But with time, choosing joy becomes more natural. And here’s the surprising part: when you truly give yourself permission to feel good, you’ll find you’re more effective at handling life’s challenges, more patient with yourself and others, and more able to create the life you actually want to live.