If you’ve been having a hard time lately, and you’re feeling stressed or unhappy, there are always things you can do to make yourself feel better. Author Kate Cutruzzula watched a series of TED Talks on happiness and fulfillment. Based on what she learned, she offers the following suggestions:
- Focus on the positive – If you start your workday by thinking that it’s going to be terrible, you unfortunately increase the likelihood of it being terrible. Try to catch yourself when you have these types of negative thoughts – and instead think of things that you’re looking forward to that day. They can be small things, like enjoying your morning coffee or cuddling with your dog. If you can get into the habit of focusing on the positive, it can help to make your day a little bit brighter.
- Try to see the good things that have resulted from a bad situation – We all have to deal with challenging things. Life can really beat you up sometimes. But if you can recognize the ways that you’ve emerged from those challenges better or stronger, you’ll turn those bad situations into triumphs.
- Focus on other people – When you’re dealing with difficult situations, your mind can sometimes feel cluttered with unhappy thoughts. If you find this happening, try distracting yourself by focusing on other people. Talk to friends or coworkers, and ask them to tell you more about what’s going on in their lives. They’ll appreciate your interest, and listening to their stories will help to distract you from your own problems.
- Think about the things that you love – What do you truly love? Gardening? Writing? Adventure? Your pet? Your mom? Think about those things and remember that you’re always surrounded by them.
Cutruzzula, K. (2018, April 3). How to be more hopeful. IDEAS.TED.COM. Retrieved from: https://ideas.ted.com/how-to-be-more-hopeful/
