I am writing on the topic of finding happiness in response to those people who are experiencing frustration, stress and even depression. While I certainly do not intend to make light of depression, I want to address a possible solution that may help people who are experiencing it, in any degree. This is not intended to be medical advice, but rather some points that may help brings perspective.
When feeling frustrated, sad or depressed, one can feel very isolated and alone, even if you have tons of people around you. The first thing to remember is that you are never truly alone. You are made up of the same energy that makes up everyone and everything. You are one with the universe. There is a higher energy of which we are all a part that is with us, and within us, at all times. It is there offering support, guidance, and love, always. All you need to do is open yourself up to it through your awareness of it.
If you are feeling depressed, it can help to talk about or even write about the reasons why. Bottling it up and re-living it over and over in the mind only takes you deeper into your frustration and sadness. A journal could be a good place to start. The purpose of this exercise is to simply recognize the root cause of your depression. Then you can go one by one and deal with each one at its root. Our perceptions are just that, they are our own perceptions. The negativity we feel is something we choose through our thoughts and through our acceptance of others’ thoughts and actions towards us. Many of the negative things we perceive is often fabrications of our ego mind. They aren’t actually based in truths; they are imagined and embellished. This is not to say they don’t feel real, obviously they do, otherwise there would be no such thing as depression at all. The point to remember is that we have total control over our thoughts, feelings, and beliefs.
The Mind Is More Powerful Than You Think
This brings me to my next point. The mind is so powerful. We have the ability to choose our thoughts, which then create how we feel, which then affect our actions, which then create our world. The root is within us. As such, we can choose to use this power to work for us or to work against us. It is our choice. We choose what we believe in. You can choose to believe the world is a bad place or you can choose to believe in people and circumstances as friendly, loving and as having a purpose. In either case, what you believe is what creates your experience in life. Again, this is your choice.
Blaming others and feeling like a victim is a sure way to get deeper into a depressed state. Why? Because when you do this, you give away your power to others. Of course, you will feel helpless this way, because you’ve gave others the authority to determine how you feel. Take your power back. Take responsibility for your own thoughts. When you do, you will realize that you do not need the approval of others to be yourself. You do not need to take on others’ beliefs if you don’t want to. And no one has the power to affect you negatively unless you allow them to do so. This is what it means to be empowered.
Use Appreciation as a Tool
Appreciation is a very powerful tool. Use it to recognize all the blessings you have right now. The very fact that you are alive and reading this blog, for example, means there is a purpose for it. There is a great and important reason why you are here right now on this earth. We each have a unique purpose to serve, and the fact that we’re given this opportunity to do so is something to appreciate greatly.
Find and Live Your Purpose
Finding and living your purpose is something that gets you out of thinking only about yourself. The “poor me” syndrome only gets you deeper into a depressed state. Again, it’s about getting out of the victim mode and into an empowered mode. When you realize you have a unique purpose, you suddenly have a mission in life. Starting to explore what you love and what brings you joy as you express it, is a great way to gain a new and fun perspective on life. You can do/be/have the essence of anything you desire in life. You just need to be open to it and believe in it and in you.
Focus on What You Love
Focus on what you love rather than what you don’t like. If you spend too much time focusing on everything that’s “wrong” in your life, that is a sure way to get more depressed about life. When you focus on everything that’s right, your energy shifts, as does your momentum. This isn’t a race so go at your own pace, but start with something that feels good to you. Watch a funny movie, read a good uplifting book, and even just looking at nature and the perfection of it all is something that can create great wonder. You start to realize and acknowledge this great power that’s orchestrating everything perfectly, in nature, and for you.
You are perfect. There is nothing inherently bad or wrong about you. You may have some errors in thinking, but this is fixable. Embrace your uniqueness and be proud of it. You were made in G-d’s image (or the universe, source, or whatever you want to call it) and G-d is perfection. You are how you are for a great reason. If everyone was exactly the same this would be a very boring place to be. If you’re eccentric, great, be eccentric. If you are creative, then great, be creative. If you have a dream, then go for it. There is a reason for all of it. Don’t let anyone determine your worth based on their opinions. People will have opinions of you, and that’s fine. You’ll have opinions of others. The key is to live your life based on your own integrity and to allow others the same privilege. Refrain from judging others and others will follow suit. You are not here to live others’ lives. You is here to live your own. From there you will have something much more meaningful to give to the world. Don’t be embarrassed by your differences, embrace them and work with them. Know you are who you are for a reason. Be true to yourself. Know that you are good. Know that you are more than good enough.
Happiness Is a Choice You Make
Finding happiness is actually quite easy if you know where to look. Happiness is within and it’s a choice. People too often look outside of themselves to find it, and because of that they sometimes never do. It’s like the dangling carrot that you chase but is always out of reach, or like a dog chasing it’s own tail. Happiness is within you, not outside of you. When you choose to be happy, to appreciate, to give and receive love, you feel happy. This then spills over into every area of your life because you are now on a new vibration.
How Your Vibration Shapes Your Life
Vibration simply refers to your feelings and how they attract to you. The more positive a feeling, the higher the vibration and the more positive results you get. The more negative a feeling, the lower the vibration and the worse off you feel and attract. There is a momentum that builds based on the level of your thoughts and feelings. The thing is though, no matter what point you are in life and no matter how you feel now, you can shift your momentum at any time. Just be consistent and determined to do so. Choose your focus and your energy will shift as well.
And just so you know, there is no such thing as negative energy. Energy is always positive. The feelings of sadness, frustration, anger and depression are a lack of energy. They are draining you of energy. It’s likes a black hole that just sucks everything into it. These emotions are bread of the ego, and as mentioned above, are up to you to choose or deny. It might sound harsh and it may seem impossible, but the more you accept this truth, the more empowered you’ll be to change things around. Sure, it can feel very difficult to accomplish this shift in mentality at first, but all you need to start with is a desire to change. As you gain momentum, it will get easier to maintain. Take baby steps, one by one, and notice how your momentum grows.
Negativity is man-made, and since man made it, man can eliminate it as well. The only power in the universe is positivity. That’s it. We are connected to it. We are one with it. We only need to acknowledge it to activate it within our lives.
Keep Growing Your Knowledge
Read, write, learn, attend classes, seminars, do whatever you need to do in this light to grow your knowledge of the universal truths and surround yourself with positivity. Research is a great tool, especially made easy by the Internet these days. Some key words and phrases that can help are: life on purpose, finding your purpose, Bach flower remedies (flower essences that help with mood and that are all natural), etc. There are lots of support systems out there, you just need to be open to them. Homeopathy and acupuncture are great helps. Joining a fun group that shares your interests can also be a great way to get uplifted. Be resourceful, be open and you will find your answers.
If you want the answer to something, just ask and you will be guided to it. You have all that you need already within you. You have the power to change your life. The question is, what are you going to do about it?
Here’s a check list of things you can do that can help you shift your energy:
– Question your negative thoughts. Don’t take them at face value or assume they’re true.
– Think about something bigger than yourself. There is a great energy that you are a part of that is guiding you and helping you.
– Do something to help others. When you do this, you get outside of your own problems and you end up gaining perspective through the joy you bring to others.
– Think about all your gifts. You are blessed, you sometimes just need to remind yourself.
– Appreciate, appreciate, appreciate. You cannot be depressed and appreciative at the same time.
– Realize you have a purpose. Find it, live it, enjoy it.
– Know you are here for a super important reason that only you can achieve in your unique way.
– Ask questions.
– Don’t bury yourself in your worries and doubts. Talk to someone about your feelings. There is no shame in that. Write it out.
– Surround yourself with positivity. Read an inspirational book, watch a funny movie, take a walk in nature, etc.
– Join a supportive group.
– Know you are never really alone and that you are connected and one with all.
– Know that as your perceptions change, so will what you put out into the world, and what comes back to you.
– Know that you are good at your core.
– Learn to forgive yourself and others.
– Explore your spiritual nature. Move beyond exteriors and appearances to know that there is something beneath the surface worth exploring.
– Ask for guidance. Meditate on it. Let it go and it will come.
– Have fun. Be child-like. Lighten-up. Life is meant to be fun. You don’t need to struggle.
– Negativity is man-made. Light dissolves all darkness.
– Let go of your need to control everything. If things don’t “go your way” know that there is a better way. Just have faith and be patient. Infinite patience produces immediate results.
– Hold positive thoughts in your mind. Use focus shifting words like, happy, healthy, wealthy, joyous, and the like. It sounds simple, but it’s very powerful.
– Don’t over-complicate. Things are simpler than they seem.
