“There are many things in life that, awakened or not, you can't do anything about.”
- Bill Harris
Issue #503 – Monday, November 24, 2025
When life gets heavy, emotions can get complicated.
You might be grieving, worried, or going through something painful in one moment…
…but still find yourself smiling at a memory, laughing at a joke, or feeling a brief moment of peace in the next moment.
And then, almost instantly, guilt sneaks in.
“Should I really feel happy right now?”
To answer that question, I’m sharing a beautiful, compassionate essay from Centerpointe CEO MaryEllen Tribby about this very topic.
MaryEllen explores why happiness and grief aren’t opposites and why letting yourself feel joy during difficult times isn’t disrespectful or insensitive…
It’s actually part of healing.
If you or someone you love has been carrying something heavy lately, this message is going to feel like a warm hand on your shoulder.
Enjoy,
Ryan Standifird
Mind Power Managing Editor
P.S.
Which inner archetype influences your life the most?
Scroll down to our Check it Out section below to learn how the Hero, the Healer, the Sage or the Wizard could be helping or hindering your success.
It’s Okay to Be Happy During Sad Times
By MaryEllen Tribby
CEO of Centerpointe Research Institute
When life brings loss, illness, or heartbreak, it can feel as though joy is suddenly off-limits.
I’ve heard from so many people, clients, friends, even members of my own family who’ve said, “It just feels wrong to smile right now.” They worry that if they laugh or feel happy, they’re betraying the person they lost, or minimizing the pain they or someone they love are going through.
But here’s the truth: happiness and grief can coexist.
They are not enemies. They are companions walking side by side through the human experience.
I’ve been through my share of sadness from losing my father to watching loved ones battle illness, and comforting my children through heartbreak and loss. Each time, there were moments when laughter snuck in… and for a split second, I felt guilty.
Then I realized that small spark of joy was not a betrayal of my sadness.
It was a lifeline.
Joy doesn’t erase pain. But it gives your heart permission to breathe again.
Grief Is a Journey, Not a Sentence
When you’re grieving or facing something difficult, whether it’s a death, a diagnosis, a divorce, or even a major life transition - it’s easy to believe you must stay sad until things are “better.”
But grief doesn’t work on a schedule. It’s not a staircase you climb and reach the top. It’s more like a wave, it ebbs and flows.
Some days the waves are crashing and all you can do is hold on. Other days, the tide recedes, and the sun peeks through the clouds. Those moments of warmth don’t mean the pain is gone. They simply mean your soul remembers how to heal.
You don’t need to apologize for smiling through tears. You don’t need to explain why you laughed at a joke during a memorial or felt peace on a quiet walk. These moments of light are reminders that life is still sacred, that love still exists, even in loss.
The Power of Permission
I remember when my daughter Mikaela lost someone she loved deeply. For weeks she couldn’t imagine feeling joy again.
One day, we went to the beach; something we’d done together since she was little. She stood there watching the waves, and a seagull swooped down, stealing someone’s sandwich. She laughed, really laughed. Then almost immediately, tears filled her eyes and she whispered, “I shouldn’t be laughing.”
I gently said, “Sweetheart, it’s okay to laugh. It doesn’t mean you’ve stopped caring. It means you’re still living.”
Grief doesn’t demand that you stop experiencing life’s beauty. It asks that you honor what you’ve lost and keep your heart open to what remains. That balance, the willingness to feel both sadness and joy is what allows healing to take root.
Why Joy Is Healing
Science backs this up. When you experience even brief moments of joy like laughter, gratitude, or awe, your body releases chemicals that counteract the physical effects of grief and stress. Your heart rate slows. Your breathing deepens. Your immune system strengthens.
From a spiritual perspective, joy is energy. It lifts not only you but everyone around you. When you allow joy to flow, you remind others that hope is still possible.
At Centerpointe, I’ve seen this transformation countless times. People come to us carrying pain, stress, trauma, loss and through meditation and Holosync technology, they begin to reconnect with peace. That moment when they say, “I felt calm for the first time in months,” that’s joy returning in its purest form.
You Are Not Disrespecting the Past - You Are Honoring Life
Here’s something I often tell people:
The person you lost, or the one who loves you through illness, would never want your happiness to die with them.
My father was one of the most joyful people I’ve ever known. After he passed, there were moments I’d laugh at one of his old jokes or dance in the kitchen to his favorite Sinatra song. At first, I’d feel a pang of guilt like I should still be somber. Then I realized that if he could see me, he’d be smiling and saying, “Good girl. That’s my MaryEllen.”
When we allow happiness back into our lives, we don’t diminish the love we had, rather we express it. Because love doesn’t end with loss; it changes form. And joy keeps it alive.
5 Ways to Find Joy During Hard Times
If you or someone you love is going through a difficult season, here are five simple yet powerful ways to invite joy back into your life - without guilt.
1. Start Small with Moments of Gratitude
When the world feels heavy, it’s hard to think about joy in big terms. Start with the smallest things like a warm cup of tea, a comforting song, a soft breeze on your face. Write down one thing each day that brings you even a flicker of gratitude. Over time, these small sparks create a light that helps guide you through the darkness.
2. Spend Time with People Who Make You Feel Safe
Grief can be isolating. Surround yourself with people who understand that healing is not linear. Choose those who allow you to cry one minute and laugh the next without judgment. True friends know that laughter doesn’t erase sadness; it’s simply a different language of love.
3. Engage in Something That Grounds You
Physical movement, meditation, prayer, or time in nature helps anchor you when emotions feel overwhelming. Holosync meditation, for instance, gently quiets the mind and restores balance to the nervous system. Even ten minutes a day can help shift your energy from despair toward calm awareness, where joy has space to reemerge.
4. Create New Rituals That Honor the Past
You can celebrate what you’ve lost while welcoming what’s ahead. Light a candle, cook a favorite meal, visit a meaningful place, or start a journal in their memory. Rituals help bridge sorrow and gratitude. They remind you that it’s okay to remember with a smile, not just a tear.
5. Allow Yourself to Feel Everything - Even Joy
Grief is not a single emotion; it’s a symphony of them. You can feel sadness, anger, laughter and hope on the same day, even the same moment. Give yourself permission to feel all of it. Happiness that arises during sorrow is not false, it’s your soul reminding you that love is still alive within you.
You Deserve Joy
If you’ve been holding back from joy because you think it’s “too soon” or “inappropriate,” please hear this:
You deserve to feel happy, even in hard times.
You are not disrespecting your pain. You are nurturing your healing. You are not moving on; you are moving forward with love, with memory, with the strength to keep living.
It’s okay to laugh while grieving. It’s okay to dance after loss. It’s okay to find light even when the world feels dark. Because those moments of joy are not replacements for what was, instead they are reminders that what you loved was beautiful enough to make you feel deeply in the first place.
So go ahead and smile. Go for that walk. Watch that funny movie. Hold your loved ones close and let laughter spill out if it comes.
It’s not betrayal, it’s life continuing through you.
And that, my friends, is how the heart learns to heal.
Check It Out!
Archetype Awakening Holosync Suite
Ancient Archetypes. Modern Breakthroughs.
When life feels uncertain, your inner allies hold the answers!
Archetype Awakening uses advanced Holosync neuro-audio technology to help you access the courage of the Hero, the calm of the Healer, the wisdom of the Sage, and the creative power of the Wizard so you can move through life with strength, clarity, and purpose.
Wise Words
“Joy doesn’t erase pain. But it gives your heart permission to breathe again.” - MaryEllen Tribby
This Really Happened
I love the new MyHolosync app, it makes it so easy to access the meditations with ease whenever I want and it's helping me meditate more frequently and regularly.
~Stephanie S.
MyHolosync User
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