Mindful Happiness: Joy is Within Reach – It is Up to You to Choose It!
We all live in a very troubled world with lots of greed, hate, warfare, and danger. Many of us use distractions (addictions, cell phone habits, eating, gathering, games, etc.) to make it through the days. This
is true! However, joy is available to you if you make it happen. The following actions can improve your day. There is one catch – you MUST do these things not simply think about them. Here is a list of actions to consider.
Do your best:
- Not to self-medicate;
- To keep a positive mind – be in charge of your thoughts;
- To eat healthy foods – fresher and cleaner, the better;
- To do regular, daily exercise;
- To get enough sleep;
- To practice your spirituality and/or religion – especially powerful rituals;
- To value and take care of good relationships with others;
- To practice calm breathing a lot;
- To do meditation – sitting or walking;
- To do positive imagery;
- To move your body – yoga, tai chi, walking, running, dancing, etc.;
- To walk more often in the woods;
- To laugh as hard as you can;
- To be generous and kind to others;
- To practice gratitude for what you DO HAVE now;
- To surround yourself with aromas you like – your olfactory bulb sends information to the limbic system before it becomes thoughts and emotions;
- To do good self-care;
- To practice radical acceptance for things you cannot change;
- To NOT live in the past, especially being trapped in bad things that happened to you;
- To be open to whet the future brings – there is hope;
- To self-validate and LOVE yourself; and,
- To be as good a person as you can be.
See Harvard Health Publications. Six ways to use your mind to control pain (physical and psychological). Retrieved 10-15-16. Wiley, M. (October 10, 2016). Sustaining wellness…Easy Health Options. Retrieved 10-15-16.
By Anthony R. Quintiliani, PhD., LADC
From the Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton, Vermont
Author of Mindful Happiness
