If you take a look at any social media feed, you will most likely be met with an abundance of posts detailing daily successes and photos of smiling faces. There's nothing wrong with sharing good times and happy moments, but social media has allowed us to portray our lives devoid of nearly any negativity -- almost as if we are afraid of acknowledging the normal human condition of suffering.

Even the default vocabulary for dealing with hardship searches for an instant-fix. If you're feeling down, you are often instantly met with responses like: "It will get better," "Keep calm and carry on," or "Just brush it off your shoulder." These pacifiers perpetuate the idea that what you are feeling is wrong or misplaced. Even if these condolences help you find some temporary solace, they are just that -- quick and temporary. They focus on the future rather than acknowledging the issue at hand. While it's true that everything is impermanent, sometimes to really move on, we need to take the time and space to be fully present with our suffering.