Working Through the Blues: Why Bad Moods and Good Work Sometimes Go Together

The other day I wrote about the happiness of pursuit, the intention to enjoy the journey as much you intend to enjoy the destination. I think it’s a good intention.

I’d be misleading you, however, if I left you with the impression that every day should be a bowl of strawberry ice cream.

Sadness, I’m sad to say, is a fact of life. It comes and it goes. Sometimes we know why, sometimes we don’t, and we can’t always wish it away.

It’s important to remember you don’t have to panic. It’s a perfectly natural thing to feel blue now and then, as natural as the ebb and flow of tides.

It’s also helpful to realize you don’t have to let it bring your work to a halt. You can still do good work even in the midst of sorrow. In fact, you may end up doing some of your best.

Often, when you’re sad, you’re more honest, more willing to be vulnerable, less caught up in trying to be a superhero, and more in touch with your human frailties. Walking through a valley can give you a perspective that standing on a mountain top can’t, and it can show in your work.

Also, the work you do can become the very thing that lifts you out of your depression. You might write a song, create a work of art, or come up with an idea that contains the solution to a problem or provides you with a thought that changes your mood. If your work can do that for you, it might just do the same for others.

So, the next time you’re feeling blue, don’t feel as if every thing’s lost. Instead, slowly make your way to your workspace, and find out what blue can do for you.

I’ll Stand by You by The Pretenders

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