I was studying the expression 抱えて生きている (literally "living while holding"?), and have found the best English equivalent to be "having to live with." In the English expression, the "thing" that one has to live with is almost always negative, unless you use the expression in an ironic way (ex., I have to live with all these hot co-eds staying at my place). In the Japanese examples I found, this negative implication seems to exist as well, but I was told that it is not necessarily so.
Here are some examples that clearly illustrate the negative meaning:
私はそのことを抱えて生きなければならない。 I have to live with that.
私は持病を抱えて生きていくすべを身につけました。 I learned to live with my chronic disease.
10年間、家に病人を抱えて生きてきました。I've had to live in the same house as a sick person for 10 years.
彼はいつも、何か問題を抱えて生きている。He is always living with some kind of problem.
私は、あなたがいつか離れていくのでは、という不安を抱えながら生きていくのに、疲れました。I have become so tired from having to live with the anxiety that you will someday leave me.
In the following example, my first translation gives the implication that the situation has a negative quality. In my second translation I attempt to more explicitly leave out this quality (the feeling of obligation that I imply may be wrong as well but that was my best shot). Does this expression always contain a negative nuance (except in ironic statements) or is my assumption wrong? If it is not always negative, could you provide an example where it is used to the contrary?
毎日、僕達は人に伝えたいことをいっぱい抱えて生きている。
Everyday, we live with (the problem/difficulty of) having to express things to other people.
Everyday, we live with having to express things to other people.
Addendum: Most of these translations are mine, so feel free to point out any flaws.