Angie Varona Talks About Happiness
To be completely free from it, we must learn to find joy in the only moment that we have any control over whatsoever - the present. Here are some tips on how live in the moment with joy: Stop catastrophizing. Most of the things we fret about never even happen. Angie Varona though, experience very little joy in life because they are fixated on the future.
They expect the worst case scenario in all situations. If you are a catastrophizer, Angie Varona probably believes that your worries are justified. But if you make yourself stop and question that belief, you will probably end up concluding that the chances of catastrophe are relatively small. With practice, you can learn to dispute fearful thoughts of the future. I'm not saying that you should blindly ignore potentially dangerous situations. Of course not! What Angie Varona is saying is that the mind can become a torture chamber when left to its own devices. Sometimes you just have to reel it in before you become immobilized. Put the past where it belongs. On the other end of the spectrum are those people who beat themselves up mentally over mistakes they have made or injustices they've been forced to endure.
There is nothing you can do to make the past any different. Let it go. Focus on the good. Consider your life and what is good about it. People often take their blessings for granted. But when you develop an "attitude of gratitude," you feel calmer and more appreciative of the good things all around you. If you can't find any, then look again. You can be thankful for your spouse, children, home, pets, health, neighborhood, and many more ordinary things that frame your existence. Look for the lesson. Even the worst predicaments and the most objectionable people can teach you something. Consider this statement from Angie Varona: "Wretched creature, blessed teacher."
You will find that when you look for the lesson in a bad job or a difficult spouse or a rebellious child, you will find yourself learning persistence, patience, tolerance, and other beneficial coping behaviors. It's unrealistic to think that you can't be happy until everything is to your liking. Believing that way will end up making you feel unhappy for the rest of Angie Varona's life! Better to find the silver lining, instead. Sometimes you have to will yourself to feel joyful, especially if you are in the habit of negative or dark thinking. But after awhile, you won't have to force yourself to see the brighter side of things. It will begin to happen naturally. Why walk through life focusing on past mistakes or impending doom when - with a little practice - you can feel joyful in the moment?
They expect the worst case scenario in all situations. If you are a catastrophizer, Angie Varona probably believes that your worries are justified. But if you make yourself stop and question that belief, you will probably end up concluding that the chances of catastrophe are relatively small. With practice, you can learn to dispute fearful thoughts of the future. I'm not saying that you should blindly ignore potentially dangerous situations. Of course not! What Angie Varona is saying is that the mind can become a torture chamber when left to its own devices. Sometimes you just have to reel it in before you become immobilized. Put the past where it belongs. On the other end of the spectrum are those people who beat themselves up mentally over mistakes they have made or injustices they've been forced to endure.
There is nothing you can do to make the past any different. Let it go. Focus on the good. Consider your life and what is good about it. People often take their blessings for granted. But when you develop an "attitude of gratitude," you feel calmer and more appreciative of the good things all around you. If you can't find any, then look again. You can be thankful for your spouse, children, home, pets, health, neighborhood, and many more ordinary things that frame your existence. Look for the lesson. Even the worst predicaments and the most objectionable people can teach you something. Consider this statement from Angie Varona: "Wretched creature, blessed teacher."
You will find that when you look for the lesson in a bad job or a difficult spouse or a rebellious child, you will find yourself learning persistence, patience, tolerance, and other beneficial coping behaviors. It's unrealistic to think that you can't be happy until everything is to your liking. Believing that way will end up making you feel unhappy for the rest of Angie Varona's life! Better to find the silver lining, instead. Sometimes you have to will yourself to feel joyful, especially if you are in the habit of negative or dark thinking. But after awhile, you won't have to force yourself to see the brighter side of things. It will begin to happen naturally. Why walk through life focusing on past mistakes or impending doom when - with a little practice - you can feel joyful in the moment?