Happiness Is in the Mind - How to Be Happy in an Instant!
"Which Dog do You Feed?" A Native American described his inner struggles thus: "Inside me there are two dogs.
One dog is mean and evil, and the other dog is good.
The mean dog fights the good dog constantly.
" When asked which dog wins, he replied, "The one I feed the most.
" So it is with your thoughts.
For every situation you are in, you can think about it in a negative way and you can think about it in a positive way.
We all know the expression: "Every cloud has a silver lining".
You can decide whether to look for the silver lining or not, and which thoughts to pursue: Just to take a small example: Imagine you're stuck in a traffic jam - What are your thoughts? "Ggrr! I'm so annoyed - I can't believe this traffic!" or "Well, I can't do anything about it - maybe I'll just daydream about my next holiday!" Your thoughts - your choice! I know it isn't always that easy, but it is that simple.
Happiness is in the mind - just change your thoughts, and see how much better you feel.
You will be doing your health a major favour too, as you will be releasing less cortisol into your blood stream! When you have negative thoughts, your body is flooded with cortisol, the 'stress' hormone.
Too much cortisol in your body is not good, and has many undesirable implications for your health.
For example, impaired memory; problems with digestion (diarrhoea and constipation); decreases in the density of your bones; weight gain (especially around your waist), and a lowering of your immune system.
I read about a study in which volunteers thought negative thoughts for 20 minutes - their immune system was lowered for 6 hours! How can you fight illness and disease effectively with a lowered immune system - no wonder we get ill! By the same token, thinking positive thoughts floods your body with dopamine and serotonin, the 'feel good' chemicals.
These chemicals do not lower your immune system, indeed, when you are thinking positively, all your systems will be working at optimum performance.
Just notice how you feel in your body when you think about something unpleasant: perhaps slightly sick in your stomach, with an increased heart rate.
And now notice how you feel in your body when you think of something pleasant: perhaps you feel warm and comfortable, and even have a smile on your face.
They are just thoughts! It's not about trying to delude yourself and trying to make light of sad or difficult situations, it's about choosing your response to the situation.
They're your thoughts - you can do with them what you like: either look for, and focus on, the positive, or focus on the negative.
And as you may know now, (because I say it a lot!), "What you focus on, flourishes" (Susan Jeffers) Which thoughts will you focus on? Which dog will you feed?
One dog is mean and evil, and the other dog is good.
The mean dog fights the good dog constantly.
" When asked which dog wins, he replied, "The one I feed the most.
" So it is with your thoughts.
For every situation you are in, you can think about it in a negative way and you can think about it in a positive way.
We all know the expression: "Every cloud has a silver lining".
You can decide whether to look for the silver lining or not, and which thoughts to pursue: Just to take a small example: Imagine you're stuck in a traffic jam - What are your thoughts? "Ggrr! I'm so annoyed - I can't believe this traffic!" or "Well, I can't do anything about it - maybe I'll just daydream about my next holiday!" Your thoughts - your choice! I know it isn't always that easy, but it is that simple.
Happiness is in the mind - just change your thoughts, and see how much better you feel.
You will be doing your health a major favour too, as you will be releasing less cortisol into your blood stream! When you have negative thoughts, your body is flooded with cortisol, the 'stress' hormone.
Too much cortisol in your body is not good, and has many undesirable implications for your health.
For example, impaired memory; problems with digestion (diarrhoea and constipation); decreases in the density of your bones; weight gain (especially around your waist), and a lowering of your immune system.
I read about a study in which volunteers thought negative thoughts for 20 minutes - their immune system was lowered for 6 hours! How can you fight illness and disease effectively with a lowered immune system - no wonder we get ill! By the same token, thinking positive thoughts floods your body with dopamine and serotonin, the 'feel good' chemicals.
These chemicals do not lower your immune system, indeed, when you are thinking positively, all your systems will be working at optimum performance.
Just notice how you feel in your body when you think about something unpleasant: perhaps slightly sick in your stomach, with an increased heart rate.
And now notice how you feel in your body when you think of something pleasant: perhaps you feel warm and comfortable, and even have a smile on your face.
They are just thoughts! It's not about trying to delude yourself and trying to make light of sad or difficult situations, it's about choosing your response to the situation.
They're your thoughts - you can do with them what you like: either look for, and focus on, the positive, or focus on the negative.
And as you may know now, (because I say it a lot!), "What you focus on, flourishes" (Susan Jeffers) Which thoughts will you focus on? Which dog will you feed?