When you’re feeling down or stuck in a thought. There are a couple things to do. First, resolve the thought. If you are unhappy with the way you managed a situation, decide how you would do it differently in the future and move on from it. That is the next part, is to acknowledge you have found resolve and start to focus on gratitude.
Think of something that could potentially please you, like crashing waves or birds singing or the smell of a freshly baked pie or the sounds of laughter with friends.
Why might you want to do this? Think about others. If you have children, or plan on having children, think about what it would encourage in their life knowing you are in a healthy frame of mind. Or, choose to consider your family; how will your brothers and sisters or mom and dad benefit from your thinking positively. It may seem infinitesimal to want to change a single thought during the day, but remember that all this is compounding. Butterfly effect, compound interest. Whichever way you choose to look at the impact of the little things in your daily life, and how they improve the greater whole, know this: the more you choose the positive form of thought the easier that can and will be in the future.
Similar to the idea of being able to be addicted to vices, it is possible to be addicted to your virtues. It takes courage, discipline and determination, but is valuable to your future life and relationships. Just think of the person you could possibly be without any form of addiction and practicing healthy patterns. Imagine what you would be doing, what you are eating, what your character is, and start to take actionable steps to achieving that vision. Instead of, “I’ll get there eventually”, decide when you want to be your best self. Know that you will give limitations to the best self you see today, and that once you reach it you will be able to start the process over again, but this time on a new level. Think of how easy it would be to work on your character with no concern for basic necessities like food, shelter, warmth, clothing. Or better yet, without want for greater experience, having the ability to literally do whatever you want financially during the day. And greater still, with healthy relations with the people who matter to you most, a sense of purpose, a sense of belonging in the world we call home.
Then the game is new challenges, like people asking for money, or what amount of money is right to give to your children, how to parent or how to decorate a home. Realistically, the ego will always create new challenges for you to conquer, but the best part of it all is there’s always a space in your mind that you can come back to with warm apple pies, fresh roses, and beautiful ocean landscapes.