The Benefits of Happy Thoughts

We all know the old saying ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me”. But what happens when the person who is throwing the harsh words your way is yourself?

We have all been associated at one point of our lives with people determined to bring you down, or as the song goes, desperate to rain on your parade. At least I know this was the case in my life and over the years I gained the strength to cut them out of my life and I certainly am a happier person for it. The one critic, however, that I cannot escape from is myself.

I am not going to make this post entirely about myself and the self-loathing I encounter from time to time. Reading about others gloomy thoughts is a sure way to bring yourself down and that is my point exactly. If this post begins to bring you down you can stop reading, but if such thoughts are forever on reply in your mind, how do you hit the stop button?

I would estimate that 80% of my frustration stems from my own thoughts. My bleakest moments are those I bring on myself at night. Whenever I feel like a victim, it is myself murdering my own soul.

It’s time to snap out of these feelings! That includes me you and the rest of the human race.

Now I am not a fan of a lot of this wishy-washy stuff out there where carrying a certain type of stone in your pocket can change your mood, or feng shui or anything else in this proximity. What I am a big fan of is positive thinking.

I know I often refer to the recession in my posts and the doom and gloom it has brought on the world. Speaking with particular reference to Ireland, the recession has turned us into a nation of defeatists. Many of us cannot get a job, pay our mortgage, go on that holiday which would certainly help us restore our health. Whether we realise it our not, these things have forced a massive strain on our mental health. Graduates who once felt they could take on the world now feel like good for nothing, down beaten losers. I know because I felt like this myself.

Well one morning I woke up and thought ‘to hell with this’. Why should I be a fatality in this world? Haven’t I got a job, a boyfriend and friends and family around me, things to be truly grateful for? Yes I do and I am going to appreciate them more. Am I a loser because I don’t have the big job in politics I always wanted? No. Have I failed in life because I can’t afford to buy the dream wardrobe I always wanted? No. Should I go hide because I am not the prettiest, thinnest, most elegant girl on this planet? No.

Now I spend my days telling myself I am great. Now I know I am not perfect and I don’t want to be considered another Samantha Brick, but there is nothing wrong with feeling good about yourself. Nothing wrong with believing at least in your own head that you are a wonderful person and your presence in the world is worth something. Like most people, I have had my low moments in life and I am determined to ebb myself further and further away from those dark times. I suggest you should do the same.

I do not know you but I can tell you truthfully that you are a great person, someone who is worthy of more than feeling like the dirt on our shoes. So live life in the best sense of happiness you can. Talk to yourself positively, be grateful for all you have in life, acknowledge all you have achieved and work towards reaching your biggest dreams. Most importantly, do not bring yourself down with negative thoughts, unfortunately there are enough people in this world who are more than willing to do this for you.