Goals of Living
Author
3 minutes read
It’s normal to feel down sometimes, It’s a way of life. Things might not turn out as you have planned, you get some bad news, or just generally feel a bit down. You’ve all heard of a negative downward spiral, but a positive upward spiral also exists. Let’s try to change that energy into something positive!
I’m going to talk about five techniques that I also do. Let’s get into it!
We tend to forget the positive things that we already have in life, then focus on the negative. We need to shift that focus to a kung-fu style. So how we do that is through a gratification journal or sharing your appreciation with others. Write down what you’re excited about, and what you’re glad that you have in your life. Or let a friend know how much they mean to you.
If everyone around you is negative then you’re going to absorb that energy. You might even have toxic friendships around you, that push you down. Re-evaluate your circle. Surround yourself with people that genuinely love you and appreciate you. Friends and family are important, and social interactions are crucial to happiness.
Are you too occupied with work? Maybe you’re spending too much time on social media or watching television. It’s important to find hobbies that you like to create a sense of passion. This might be gardening, cars, makeup, or sports. If you don’t know what your hobbies could be then try it out some new things, and see if it sticks.
Physical exercise is proven to elevate mood and reduce stress. Let me tell you, I’ve never been a gym guy in my life. I don’t think I’ve ever visited a gym..til 2-3 years ago. Where I surprisingly become addicted to it. Like I said in step three, you never know til’ you tried. So try to go to the gym, or take a walk or go for a run. A preconceived notion is that you need to go to the gym at the same time every week, e.g Wednesday. Then something comes up and you miss it and you get disappointed. Life doesn’t always need to be so strict, it’s okay to miss something. Try again on Thursday. I go to the gym six days a week, and I do as much as I can that day. And that’s completely fine.
As with exercise I didn’t think I’d like this either, I just imagined a Munk floating in the air or that it didn’t work. I was wrong, and I have a great example of this. Have you ever gone to bed, you’re focused, then voila you have an idea? Or you can focus on something more clearly. Well, meditation works the same way, you and how you do it is very simple. Simply close your eyes, and focus not actively thinking. Thoughts will come and go, just observe them and let them go. Try not to follow them. Meditating for just 10-20 minutes a day can reduce stress, and improve self-compassion.
So what about mindfulness? Well it’s almost the same thing. If you’re doing a task, e.g cleaning the dishes. Then focus on the task at hand, don’t let your thoughts wander away. Be present in the given moment.
Have you tried cold showers? This is something that I have tried as well, and let me tell you I don’t like cold. At all. I shiver up just stepping outside of the shower. But cold showers help you relax, and boosts your mood. Give it a try, next time you take a shower then just switch the temperature to cold and see how long you last and see how you feel when you’re done.
