I think I can. I know I can.
- Move like an optimist! It is impossible to feel depressed while smiling, walking briskly or dancing to happy music. The majority of songs are about unhappy topics. Throw them away so you don’t brainwash yourself into feeling sad. Sing and dance to happy songs.
- Self-talk can hurt or uplift you. You can look in the mirror and recite a long list of negative descriptions or you can look in the mirror and speak kindly to yourself. Think of how you would treat someone you care about and then treat yourself in that way.
- Visualize your negative-thought gremlins and see yourself swooping them up in a canvas bag. Tie them up with mental ropes and fling those gremlins deep into the ocean. Then take a deep breath and feel free.
- Spend five minutes when you first wake thinking about your blessings. Say them out loud. Feel grateful for the sun rising, your good health, a comfy mattress and pillow or the roof over your head when it rains. It doesn’t matter what you are grateful for, it only matters that you are grateful. Dig deep and find five minutes worth of gratefulness each morning.
- Write five sentences to ask yourself. Tape them on the bathroom mirror or put them someplace you’ll see first thing in the morning. You might ask, “What could possibly happen today that will be better than what happened yesterday?” “What will I learn today that will help me grow in the direction of my goals?” These questions presuppose that something will happen to lead you the way you want to go.
- Write a list of your life goals. You deserve to have a plan and not have life happen to you. Look for one of the dozens of books and teachers who show you effective ways to figure out your goals.
- List everything you have accomplished from learning how to ride a bike to earning a PhD. Place it somewhere convenient so you can easily add to the list. The more the better. This list can be a life-long project.
- Consider the influence of your friends and with whom you spend the most time. If people typically feel upbeat, they will lift you; if they typically feel angry or depressed, they will drag you down.
- Read uplifting books like Jack Canfield’s The Success Principles and actually do the suggested activities.
- Look deep into a mirror. See your spirit and think about the saying, You are not a human being having a spiritual experience, you are a spiritual being having a human experience.
Source: Julie Donnelly
