Celebrate being You
Did you ever wonder why certain people seem chronically happy and content with themselves, while others seem perpetually in a state of angst? Is this especially the case with women? Most of us are doing double-duty job shifts, and so we might be a little grumpy about that. But another reason is our built-in mental filter that often scans for the negative, and inadvertently canceling out, or diminishing the positive in our lives.
Specialists who study happiness have come up with some basic rules-of-the-road to facilitate keeping that smile on your face.
1. Be grateful. Take time to reflect on the things you're thankful for.
2. Make peace with your past; acknowledge your mistakes, and get on with it.
3. Write it down. Journal. Give yourself credit. Put your history into context. Reminisce about how you learned your lessons, and recognize the good things that resulted.
4. Use exercise and music to shake off your bad moods.
5. Do away with negative rumination. Turn a situation that you have catastrophized into a quest for positive resolution.
6. Be more assertive. Call upon your imagination to conjur up new solutions to problems you face.
7. When you freak out and lose patience, switch gears. Talk to yourself. Think about five things around you that are positive, and dwell on them for awhile.
8. Challenge your fears.
9. Take care of your health. Spend time with health-conscious people.
10. Chill out. Relax. Breathe. Rejuvenate.
There. Don't you feel better now? Have a beautiful day.
