How to Be Happy Despite Adversity

Being happy can be a constant battle. Learning to be happy despite adversity is my way of dealing with the issue. Read more if you are interested.

Instructions

1. Being happy every minute of every day is hard to do. Realistically, there will be some moments throughout your day when adversity strikes. It can come in a host of forms: family situations, work situations and even circumstances at a store. Wherever you go and whatever you do throughout your day, you never know what kind of day it will bring.

2. Family life may make you depressed if you have a difficult spouse, a great deal of cleaning to do or if you have fallen behind in bills. There are many other scenarios to deal with that would fill up many pages. The gist will suffice.

3. Additionally, work life can be stressful with work overload, a crummy boss, errant co-workers, traffic conditions and a myriad of other factors that may cause unhappiness. Each condition ensures that your happiness will be tested to its limits.

4. Alternatively, being in a store with unruly people, long lines, small aisles where two people cannot fit, sale items are no longer on sale and many more variables can contribute to your state of mind. What can you do about it? Plenty, but it will not be that easy.

5. One of the most important factors in eradicating your unhappiness is to listen to yourself. Listen to your response the next time an unpleasant thought or situation comes up. Is it a negative response? Do you talk yourself down or into a frenzy where you become virtually another person?

6. Another way to look at it is to call it another name. Self talk. How you talk to yourself can be the difference between night and day. If you are consistently self talking yourself with unconstructive thoughts, you are going to be unhappy. Negative thoughts produce negative results. Positive thoughts produce positive thoughts. The theory behind self talk is simple. Actually doing it, and sticking with it, is not. It takes quite a while to break a self defeatist attitude if you suffer from it.

7. If you give into negativity, you give it strength. You are empowering it. Do not tell yourself that you will no longer be negative, because you are using the word negative and that is allowing it to perpetuate. Instead, say to yourself that you are feeling positive. Using only upbeat affirmations several times a day (even when you are not dealing with a stressful situation), helps affirm to your psyche that you are a good person.

8. When a stressful circumstance does occur, quickly take a step back before judgment rears its ugly head. It can be difficult, but do it. Think about the other person. Has he had a bad day? Did he intentionally do the thing that bothered you? After that, give yourself a pat on the back for not flipping out at a potential response. Tell yourself that you are a better person for not downgrading yourself to his level. Tell yourself that you are a happy and good person.

9. Don't be unrealistic too. If a person at work or at a store is being unfriendly, do not think that your self talk will change other people's attitude. Perhaps in the long run, when you wore them down with kindness, they would be nicer.

10. Self talking is what makes you who you are. You have a choice to either fill your head with pessimistic things or fill them up with optimistic reinforcement. The choice is yours, and so is the choice to be happy.

Tips & Warnings

• I am not a doctor. The article written by me is my opinion only. If you have serious issues, consult a medical professional.