18 Feb Overcome Your Mood and Make Positive Choices For Your Happiness.
via Thrive Global by Kathy Andersen
Across the country, bad moods and sad moods are rising as COVID continues to reap havoc on mental health. You’re not alone if you’re feeling in a funk, a little down every day (or a lot), tired from poor sleep, worried about your job and your financials, feeling loss and sadness, agitated by uncertainty, and feeling alone through isolation from friends and loved ones. In the U.S., nearly half of people surveyed in a recent Kaiser Family Foundation study felt their mental health was being harmed by the pandemic. Mood fatigue has set in and many just don’t know how to kick it out.
Yet, our human nature is resilient, determined, and founded in hope. Despite the hardships of COVID, we have witnessed the inspired characteristics of our human spirit through stories of people overcoming challenges and taking charge through positive choices every day.
You can overcome bad moods and sad moods by starting with acknowledging that the circumstances you’re experiencing are bound to lead to the feelings you’re experiencing. Give yourself a break from beating yourself up for feeling bad or sad. You’re doing the best you can, so be kind to yourself as we all move through this, and out of this. It will happen. It is happening. And you can make it happen.
Psychologist and neuroscience expert, Professor Rick Hanson, explains how the coronavirus crisis is exposing some of our most challenging psychological vulnerabilities. Hanson highlights how important it is to nurture our social and emotional strengths, develop regular mental health practices, and access resources that promote mental strength and resilience—from developing calm and gratitude, to confidence and courage.
Here’s five ways to shift your mood and make positive changes to create a new happy reality:
1. “Climb Your Tree” & Find Some Peace
We each need to find some peace every day by stepping away from the things that consume us and finding the “higher space” in which we can breathe more easily, and “circuit-break the crazy” of the day.
When I was a child trying to escape the almost daily sexual abuse by my father, I would go anywhere to find some space to breathe. I had two favorite places—my most favorite was in the tree in our next-door neighbor’s front yard. I would climb up into the tree and nestle myself into branches amidst the leaves that made me feel protected and peaceful. In that space, I could look out to the sky, breathe, and imagine happiness. Even though I knew I had to climb back down from the safety of the tree and fearfully venture back into the house where I would be prey to my father once again, those happy moments of imagination stayed with me and helped me move from one day to the next.
Amidst COVID, we each need to “find a tree to climb” so we can take a break, breathe, see things from a higher perspective, and imagine happiness. Then, when we venture back, we must hold onto the hope and thoughts of happiness as we journey onward with the optimistic belief that if we can imagine happiness, we can make happiness happen…
… keep reading the full & original article HERE