From Unhappy To Happy In 4 Steps

From Unhappy To Happy In 4 Steps
By April Claxton
http://www.themovementwithin.com/

“Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. It means you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.” -Unknown

Clients always ask me, "April, HOW do I become happy with all that IS going on in my life?" Many of us experience bills that pile up and medical issues and separations and divorce and changes and miscommunications and job problems and money issues and... The list goes on and for many of us we can keep adding to it.

My reply is simple: DISTRACTIONS.
For beginners, distractions are one way in which we can make the transition from Worry Wart to Happy Henry. If we continue to focus on what IS hurting us, upsetting us, angering us, saddening us, scaring us or worrying us, we cannot focus on all that is there to enlighten, uplift, encourage, guide and delight us. Our focus is our rudder (the thing on a boat that steers it in any direction). It directs us to where we are going emotionally, physically, mentally and even spiritually. How many times have we thought, "I just don't feel connected?"

So, just HOW do we shift our focus? On a boat, there is a lever. In our minds, we have one too-
1) We stop- completely in our tracks. And we breathe. That's right. In. Out. Visualize your breaths entering and exiting your body. Feel your skin. Notice your body and its sensations. Become aware of the moment you ARE in.

2) Relax (continue breathing). There is nothing that can be done at this very moment. If there was, the solution would be evident. Maybe the solution is evident but many times we are so worked up that we are unable to see it. Count to ten and go to step 3.

3) Find something that will "fill" your mind and distract you. What is it that would make you feel a little better right now? A walk? A song? A bath? A meal? A meditation? A book? The article links below have some GREAT ideas to get you started. Allow yourself to become inspired to "think different." If the way we are thinking now is working for us then chances are we wouldn't keep reading this article. <3
4) Understand. Understand that it's OK to not understand at all. There are bigger things going on sometimes than we can understand- things that may have nothing to do with us at all. What someone else may be learning in a situation may not be what you are to learn. In one single situation someone may be learning self-acceptance while someone else is learning patience. Someone may be learning how to exercise restraint while another is learning how to speak up effectively. EVERY situation is an opportunity to learn something. Once we learn (and practice) to say, "I don't get it and right now that is ok," we allow ourselves to do the one thing we dream about all day long: we let go and go with the flow. We give up control over things we have no control over- at least at this point in time. In doing so, we are taking control over ourselves- the ONLY thing we completely have control over at ALL times.

Life isn't easy. Actually, it becomes easier but the difficult part is learning how to recondition the way we've been conditioned. We have been conditioned by people and events our entire lives. We have also been condition by ourselves. With a little bit of patience, persistence and lightheartedness the impossible becomes possible, the undoable becomes doable and the hidden becomes revealed. Life is what we make it- once we learn how to shift our focus and follow our heart. Time makes a big difference. Patience and practice make it happen. <3 -ac

Happiness and Health (Time Magazine)

An E-book by Dr. Timothy Sharp

7 Reasons to Be Happy Even if Things Aren’t Perfect Now (tinybuddha.com)