what does "you can't keep the birds of sadness from flying into your head, but you can keep them from nesting in your hair" means?

Well it's inevitable that we will feel moments of sadness throughout our lives. However, those thoughts can in a sense fly through one ear and then out the other. However, those thoughts nesting in our hair can represent those thoughts staying permanetly, and over this we have total control.

The phrase "you can't keep the birds of sadness from flying into your head, but you can keep them from nesting in your hair" is a metaphorical expression that illustrates the nature of negative thoughts and emotions. It implies that we cannot control whether negative thoughts enter our minds, but we have the power to prevent them from taking root and affecting us deeply.

The phrase can be interpreted in different ways, but here's one possible explanation:

Imagine birds as symbols of negative thoughts or sadness. Sometimes, we cannot avoid experiencing those negative emotions; they may enter our minds, much like birds flying around. However, we have the ability to prevent them from settling in and becoming a permanent fixture in our lives, just as birds would build nests in our hair.

In other words, although we cannot completely avoid negative emotions, we can choose not to dwell on them or let them consume us. We have the power to control our reactions to challenging situations, develop healthy coping mechanisms, and consciously shift our focus towards more positive and uplifting thoughts.

So, the overall meaning of this metaphor is that while we can't always control our initial thoughts or emotions, we do have control over how much we allow them to affect us.