From time to time I invite a guest blogger to share his/her perspective. My thanks to therapist blogger Cheri Armstrong, LCSW for writing this down-to-earth article for my website.
If you came across a sign that read, Happy Pills for Sale, would you get in line? How much would you be willing to pay? If you had a patent on Happy Pills, how much would you charge?
Of course Happy Pills don’t exist! Simply pointing out this disappointing fact might be enough to urge some pessimists to just pull out the ‘hopeless’ card. Don’t go there! Because there are things that we can do to pursue and optimize our happiness!
If you believe you are one of the folks who have a major negative reflex, here are some things that you can choose to practice on a regular basis that will send you in a more uplifting direction.
So grab this list, do your research (see which ones work best for you), and write your own prescription!
1. Keep a ‘thankful’ diary of everything you are grateful for. Update it regularly–like each morning or evening.
2. Volunteer. Helping others is deeply satisfying and gets your focus off of the more challenging aspects of your life.
3. Thank someone in your past or present who has made a significant impact on your quality of life.
4. Tune in to the coping strategies that seem to work best for you in putting you in a joyous and grateful state.
5. Root out your negative ‘thought habits’, reframe them, and replace the negatives with positives, feeding a new ‘thought habit’.
6. Exercise regularly with the activities you enjoy the most.
7. Eat good-quality fresh food and limit your use of processed food.
8. Live in a state of acceptance and gratitude.
9. Sleep well. The following may help: dark room, low noise, limit caffeine to earlier in the day, limit late-night forays into media. If you choose to practice a calming wind-down routine before you head off for bed, this can help you build an excellent environment for quality sleep.
Since not all of these items will work for everyone, get into ‘research’ mode and decide which of the above Happy Pills work best for you!
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This list was excerpted from The Headliner, Summer 2012, Vol. XIX Issue 3.
This is the official publication for the Brain Injury Alliance of Oregon.
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Cheri Armstrong is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in private practice in Walla Walla, Washington. Learn more at www.armstrongcounseling.com
Share what’s on your list in the comments below. The more the better.
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The methods I use have proven their value as seen in current research on mindfulness, meditation, and neuroscience when combined with psychology. I bring 35+ years of training & work as a psychotherapist to this cutting edge work I now exclusively offer.
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