Why “Melancholy” Holly?

mel·an·chol·y
/ˈmelənˌkälē/
noun
a feeling of pensive sadness, typically with no obvious cause.
-Oxford Languages

When naming my blog, I was looking for a rhyme, pun, or alliteration with my name. In my quest, I Googled words that rhyme with Holly. The first one that came to mind was jolly (I blame Christmas music), but jolly really doesn’t fit my personality. I’m a generally happy person, sure, but jolly? That seems like a bit much. Oddly enough, melancholy was one of the first rhyming words that came up. When I saw it, I immediately laughed and joked to my husband that is was quite fitting. When I mentioned it to my sister, she said, “Okay, Eeyore.” My best friend said, “I like Melancholy Holly!” Thus, the name was chosen.

“Why would you want to name your blog something that literally means pensive sadness?” Well, sometimes life is pensive sadness: seasonal depression, never ending depression, anxiety, trauma, internal battles, mental illness, a horrible day, the list could go on. Life isn’t always a struggle, but it isn’t always rainbows and butterflies either. I mean, you can’t even have rainbows without rain. It’s this kind of thinking that’s had me labeled a pessimist. I consider myself more of a realist than a pessimist, but sometimes it’s hard to discern the difference. But I digress…

Have you ever had a moment when you picked something because it just felt right? That’s how I felt about Melancholy Holly. Honestly, I continued looking for other rhyming words, puns, and H words, but I kept coming back to melancholy. Why? It just felt right. And probably because I have a tendency to mask my pain with humor. Coping mechanisms for days! More than anything, I promised myself that I would be authentically me on this blog. Mental health problems and all. So, I hope to use my melancholy title and attitude as an excuse to talk about mental health. The more we all talk about it, the sooner we can end the stigma that surrounds it. Have the conversation. Ask someone about their day. Call your friends out when they aren’t acting like themselves. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. You are not a burden. You will NEVER be a burden.

So, why “Melancholy” Holly? Because it rhymes. Because I am melancholy most of the time. Because I thought it was funny. Because my goal on this blog (and in life) is to be authentically me with no apologies.