Choose happiness

My husband has recently been sending me texts that read "choose happiness". Nothing more, nothing less, just "choose happiness". I know that he only means to encourage me, and I am in no way angry or upset with him for saying it; however, it made me think about the opinion that many people hold in regard to others who may be struggling to cope or find happiness in their lives. I hope people don't truly believe that I, or others like me, choose sadness. In fact I am constantly trying to achieve happiness. I am truly grateful for many of the blessings God has bestowed on me. I am also grateful for the hard times that I have been through in which I was able to grow; however I am constantly fighting off feelings of sadness, anxiety, anger, and agitation. I do not choose to feel these feelings - they are constantly with me - but I can't seem to take the necessary steps to make those feelings go away (or at least to cope with them). I see my husband's point that I need to choose to take those first steps, no matter how difficult they may be, to a healthier outlook, but that is much easier said than done. Step one....get help - a work in progress. Step two...hopefully I'll find out what that is through step one.