Decide to be Happy for Better Mental and Physical Health
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By
Lee Wulff
Life Coaching & Personal Development
I have noticed that folks are generally about as happy as they
have made up their minds to be. Abraham Lincoln
Happiness is a thing to be practiced like a violin. Unknown
Often we hear people say such things as, "I just can't be
happy with this illness" or "This job makes my life so
miserable." Many people believe that other people and their
own circumstances cause them to be less than happy or to have a
sense of well-being. Someone or something outside of themselves
is controlling their emotions. They think, if only so-and-so would
act differently, or if I could just live in a nicer neighborhood,
I would be happy.
During World War II the prisoners who chose to appreciate and focus
on the smallest of things such as seeing a blade grass, the blue
sky, had far better chances of survival. Once free they had real
joy because they had come to appreciate all that they had and did
not focus on what they had lost.
So many people miss out on a life of joy because they don't know
that happiness is a choice just as anger, dissatisfaction or just
feeling out of sorts are all choices we all make. There are of course
those who are clinically depressed and need professional help. I
am not referring to those who, due to chemical or hormonal imbalances
or environmental toxins are unable to pull themselves out of depression.
Nor am I saying that someone experiencing a great loss can instantly
be happy.
We Choose How to Feel
The truth is, we choose how we react and feel about any given circumstance.
In every moment we are at choice. We decide to be happy or not.
As Lincoln said, people really do make up their minds how happy
to be.
It is not only possible to change a negative feeling and focus
on the positives, it is imperative if we are to be both mentally
and physically well. When we choose positive, happy feelings, we
are much more likely to make healthy choices. Feeling sad or angry
leads us to eat poorly and neglect healthy habits. This leads to
stress and feeling helpless to change life for the better. The mind
and body are so connected that if the mind is unhappy, the body
also becomes unwell.
If you have spent your life believing that you cannot choose to
be happy and that things outside of you are the cause of unhappiness,
it will take practice to make the shift to knowing you are always
at choice. It takes time to fully realize that you can celebrate
life at all times. Initially it takes commitment, a desire to change,
being open to taking control of your attitude and lots of practice.
A trusted friend or a life coach can help you to make this shift,
especially if you have led a life of pessimism.
In my coaching practice I help clients to see and put into practice
the habit of choosing their thoughts and feelings. One client was
fearful of trying to go for her dreams. She thought she would fail
if she ever tried to live her dream of becoming an illustrator of
children's books.
The problem was that she was raised by parents who constantly told
her she could not do well and so not to try the things she wanted
to do. Later she married a man who reinforced what her parents had
always told her.
She was still listening to those voices in her head when we began
our coaching relationship. We began by focusing on her real talent
and ability she was able, in time, to start replacing those old
voices with positive feelings. She became sure that she could indeed
achieve the goals she set for herself. Each time she chose to go
ahead and do just one thing that everyone told her she couldn't
do, she gained more confidence. Rapidly she gained confidence and
happiness in living the life she had dreamed of for so long. Now
she is unstoppable and radiantly happy. She has learned that she
alone controls her happiness and has far surpassed her original
goals.
The process of consistently choosing a healthy attitude is greatly
assisted by close trusted friends or by life coaching. Someone who
you allow to be candid yet holds you accountable when you slip back
into old habits of letting "things" get you down. Without
this kind of support system, attitude "adjustments" and
positive shifts will generally not succeed long term.
A healthy attitude allows you to stay creative and open to opportunities.
The benefits of a healthy attitude are:
- Opportunities are more obvious
- Your state of mind is more balanced and not subject to rapid
emotional ups and downs
- Your perception is more realistic rather than fatalistic
- Positive, happy people are attracted to you
- Your life shifts from difficulties and high stress to one of
near effortlessness
- Your healthy attitude leads to a healthier body and mind
Remember that you have the choice, in every situation and in every
moment, to be happy!
To
learn more about choosing happiness, what personal life coaching
is about and what it can do for you, contact me at (480) 539-6063
or via e-mail at [email protected].
Dr. Mercola's Comment:
I also believe that attitude and beliefs can go a long way toward
bringing a person happiness. Of course, this is easy to say and
not so easy to put into practice in reality because so many of us
are blocked by conscious or subconscious negative emotions. Having
a coach can really help in this area, especially if you incorporate
EFT into your sessions. EFT is a form of psychological acupressure,
based on the same energy meridians used in traditional acupuncture
to treat physical and emotional ailments for over 5,000 years, but
without the invasiveness of needles.
If you are not familiar with EFT you can review my free
training program and for more detailed instructions you can
purchase my DVD videos or
Gary
Craig's (the founder of EFT) videos.
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