How to Overcome Depression And Lead A Happy Life

Suffering from depression can be a very painful and disastrous experience, which many of us know only too well.  It can cause our lives to almost turn upside down and for our outlook on life to become very negative.  So it’s very important to try to learn how to overcome depression and start leading a better life.
 

Here are just a few simple little steps to begin with if you want to seriously learn how to overcome depression permanently – but you must persistently follow these steps:

1.       Change Your Outlook – This might seem easier said than done.  People suffering from depression nearly always focus on the negative side of things. They envision a bleak and sad future for themselves or others.  Changing your outlook is not easy but has to be done if you want to overcome depression.

An important tip is to stop focusing on what went wrong in the past. Thinking too much about your past will only make you sadder and more depressed. Start thinking about what you would like your future to be. What are the things you would like to have happen in your life which will make you happy?  Think about such things. Note that this kind of thinking is very much different from daydreaming or wishful thinking.

2.      Don't Blame Yourself For Everything - Sure, you might have made some mistakes in the past. But stop blaming yourself for everything that went wrong. People with depression blame themselves for being weak or unable to cope.  Stop trying to find out all the mistakes you made. Learn to accept your shortcomings without focusing too much on them.  Accept the fact that nobody is perfect and that you, like many others, had shortcomings and made mistakes in the past - no big deal!

3.      Indulge In Activities That Make You Feel Good - Depression can make you forget the fun and joy of living. You don't find pleasure in anything. So an important step to overcome depression is to bring back feelings of pleasure and fun into your life again.

Think of activities that you enjoy doing. It could be reading, cooking, browsing the internet, spending time with a close friend, going out for a walk, sitting in a garden or whatever.  Find out an activity which you feel safe doing and which does not tire or bore you.  Find an activity which makes you feel relaxed and even brings a smile to your lips.

Once you identify one or two such activities, make a commitment to indulge in those activities for at least 30 minutes every day without fail.  At first, this may seem pointless. But persist with it and you will begin to notice the difference in your feelings and behavior.   Don't worry if the activity seems silly or not much fun to others.  You’re the important one!

Author: Kent Swigg

How Can You Get More Happiness Into Your Life?

What is it that makes you happy? 

Pretty much everyone has a hobby they enjoy doing...whether it's an artistic talent like painting, photography, scrap-booking, or if it's a technical task like organizing....we all have things we like to do.

Generally, if you lose track of time while you do something you enjoy, that's a good sign that you are doing something that brings you joy....and what if you could turn it into a successful career?  Then you'd have a LOT more joy and happiness in your life. Think about it, how much time do we spend at an average job each day? Each week? Each year? For our whole lives? That's a lot of time to be spending frustrated, miserable, annoyed and anxiety-ridden. Wouldn't you rather do something you love to earn a living?

If you have several things you like to do in your spare time, you could combine them into a career, or choose one or two of your favorite things to do!

Why spend years doing something for a job that you don't like or don't enjoy when you could make more money doing what you love?  It is possible and many people have done it.

The first step to turning your talent or hobby into your dream career is to believe it is possible. That is actually the most important step. If you don't believe it's possible, then any other actions you take to make it happen will be fruitless, because within you...you'll be expecting to fail.

Once you've convinced yourself it's possible to have your dream career doing what you love, the next important thing to do is to decide to make it happen, and make a promise to yourself that you won't give up.

Then it becomes a case of goal-setting.

Make a detailed list of everything you want in your dream career. Include your desired pay, hours, location, working with people or alone, travel, paid time off, and so on.   Then you need to brainstorm some possibilities that you could do with the details on your list.  Consider starting your own business, getting a career in a field doing what you most enjoy, become a freelancer...the possibilities are endless and you CAN do it.

Once you've brainstormed the possibilities, do some research and then make a decision. After you've decided, write up a clear goal. Make sure your goal is detailed and has a realistic deadline. 

Most importantly of all - post your goal where you'll see it often.  The refrigerator door might be the ideal spot!

Author: Mary Monica Moore

The Power Of Patience

Paul Davis says that patience is a foreign concept to many of us these days, when everything seems to happen at the speed of light. Many people seem to be going through life like their hair is on fire. Some have called this the "microwave generation”.  Such are acknowledgments that patience is a rare character trait now.

Have you ever lost your patience? Of course you have. We all have. Circumstances and people can sometimes push all of us over the edge and try our patience.

Here are some tips to help you patiently possess your soul:

1.       Rule your tongue. The tongue is to your body what a small rudder is to a big ship. By ruling and harnessing your tongue, you can control yourself entirely. The tongue is connected directly to the heart. So by putting a restraint on your mouth you simultaneously stop any impure thoughts from excessively filtering through your heart and mind. Negative thoughts don't serve us well anyhow and need not to be dwelt on.

2.      Pray to your Creator to help you master your moods and govern your emotions. Praying is a wonderful exercise that takes your negative energy, harnesses it and utilizes it for good to employ the resources of the unseen world.

3.      Find something humorous about the situation and leverage it for laughter. Humor lightens the heart, fills the soul with joy and lessens the load of our day. Laughter is an elegant and fun way to diffuse tension. Everybody likes to laugh. You will be far more popular among people if you can skilfully turn tense situations into laughable moments. Learn to leverage tense times for good times. You can do so be reframing the issue and seeing it from a comic's perspective.

4.      Give thanks for the opportunity to learn something from the situation. Possess an attitude of gratitude. Let your thanksgiving exceed your complaining. Find something to be thankful for and focus on that rather than the minuscule problem. The more you can dwell upon that which you are thankful for, the easier it is to rise above your current dilemma and conquer it.

5.      Love people unconditionally. Many tense situations involve people. It is quite easy to lose it and lash out at people. We all make mistakes. Some more than others. Nevertheless see people through the eyes of the Creator. Nobody is beyond redemption. Each of us has something to offer humanity. Practice preferring others over yourself. Be polite. As you embrace good manners, your impatience will diminish as you seek to maintain your own dignity and integrity. Overcome evil with good.

6.      Look for the big picture and meaningful message within the mess. Be a lifelong learner. Take something positive from the experience regardless of how painful it may be. Leverage the life lesson from the situation. The Chinese see problems as opportunities. Their character for problem and opportunity are both the same. Many of the world's greatest discoveries, breakthroughs and entrepreneurial fortunes came about from an initial problem. By looking at the problem differently than everybody else, solutions were found and opportunities did abound.

7.      Remember peace is priceless. World history has proven to us that once peoples and nations angrily explode and go to war with one another everybody suffers. Consider the countless lives that have been lost and the massive destruction of nations that has occurred as a result of war. Peace therefore is a priceless commodity that should be cherished every day. Let peace then reign in your own heart and mind first. By giving way to peace in your own heart and mind, agitations will be lessened, brought into proper perspective and the atmosphere around you will be far more pleasant and peaceful.

8.      Believe for breakthroughs and assistance beyond yourself. If you desire to get somewhere in life, your relationships and your profession, know assuredly that the universe will conspire to give you what you want when you believe. Childlike faith is a force that attracts to you what you inwardly desire. Believe that your deepest desires are intertwined with those of others and will surely come to pass when you simply trust. After you have done all you know to do, trust in serendipity to intervene and orchestrate the rest for you.

9.      Take your time. Don't be in a hurry.  As the white rabbit said in Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, "The hurrieder I go, the behinder I get."  That certainly has been my personal experience. The faster I frantically work on something the more apt I am to make mistakes and thereafter have to go back and fix my errors. It is far better for us to settle into a good pace and regulate ourselves within, lest our emotions get the best of us.

10.   Ask for help. Practice humility and politely ask for help when you need it. Of course when you do so perhaps those to whom you are turning for help may not be immediately available. Some may have no desire to help you. Nevertheless give people the opportunity to help you. Then when they are in need you make sure to return the favor.

11.    Sing a song and rejoice within. Find something happy to think about. Go on a brief mental diversion. Take a few minutes vacation for your soul to settle down and rest. Sing a happy song. Play a tune that makes you feel good. Change your mood and mental state by making a melody in your own heart. Singing will lift you up and cause you to rise above your circumstances.

12.   Purpose to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. Detach as best you can inwardly from the problem and objectively see it for what it is. Read about this subject and see how others have overcome it. Develop yourself to be your best so you can be a problem-solver not a problem creator. Remember that complaining only magnifies and enlarges the problem. Quiet inner reflection and pondering on a solution brings it into proper perspective as you journey toward the solution.

Give yourself the gift of patience. Don't allow your inner world to be disrupted by what goes on outside of you. Remain in control and master your emotions. You are greater on the inside than anything you face on the outside.