Gratitude | Pria's Ponderings

Managing Stress

Attitude, Finding balance, Gratitude, Happiness, Humor, Outlook, Philosophy, Self-Care No Responses »

Apr 242011

Think about a relaxing waterfall.

Are you highly stressed or anxious? Stress can wreak havoc on our health in many ways. Here are some ways to manage it:

Keep Perspective

It is important to keep perspective. When you feel up, keep notes. When you feel down, take notes. When you are down, read these notes to see how you got through it, and more importantly, that you did get through it.

When you are up, enjoy it, and know that you may go down…Don’t take life too seriously! Remember that the only thing that remains constant is change, “this too shall pass.”

Laugh

Maintain a sense of humor and try to find something funny in everyday life. Be around people that make you laugh. Watch shows that make you laugh. Find as many ways as possible to laugh as much as you can daily.

Journal

Work through issues by writing down what is blocking you from the direction you want to go. Is it you or external events? What is going well? What are you grateful for? Make a list of what you want in all areas of your life. Diagram the different areas – mental, physical, emotional, spiritual. Fill in the boxes with what is working. Which block seems more empty? That area needs attention.

Develop a support system

Ensure you have adequate support to help you when times are tough. Be comfortable with utilizing professional support including life coaches in addition to friends. Even pets can be a source of comfort.

Loss and Gain

Attitude, Finding balance, Finding Meaning, Gratitude, Outlook, Personal Growth, Philosophy No Responses »

Mar 312011

My sleeping gain

Lately, I’ve had to come to terms with the idea of loss more – something I think I’ve had to deal with in varying degrees with some challenging peaks. It got to an overwhelming point and I had to remind myself how I got to the other “normal” side before.

Loss is something we deal with everyday at different levels. Everyday, our bodies are 1 day older and we gradually have to let go of a previous notion of what we could expect. We become one day older and we have to let go of the previous day in order to embrace a new day and all that it offers.

One aspect of loss is that it is often one side of a coin. If we can manage to look enough, we can sometimes see the gain on the other side. I experienced this gain as I kissed my smiling toddler before she went to slept. This miraculous creature was in my life now and had not been there only two short years ago. It is true that when one door is shut, another often opens, even if we have to be patient and wait for it or try to have enough awareness to notice it.

The science of happiness

Gratitude, Happiness, Outlook, Philosophy No Responses »

Apr 302010

Maya being the epitomy of happiness at Easter

According to a feature on The Today Show, 50% of how happy we feel is based on genetics. We can control the other half. There is a level of hard-wiring in terms of how happy we feel, but we can work around it.

Perspective, attitude, and optimism matters. There are ways to be more optimistic and studies have shown that optimists are much happier. They appreciate what they have and don’t think about what they don’t have.

Tips on being happy

5 random acts of kindness per week
keep a gratitude journal – focusing on what you are thankful for keeps you in that positive space
forgive – it releases you from a psychological imprisonment
write someone a thank-you letter – pen to paper, not email. The process of thanking someone makes a difference.
getting enough sleep
having fun
think about what’s true for you, e.g. don’t force yourself to find all your happiness from motherhood if that is not true for you.
make your bed! There is something about the tangible act that helps people feel there is order in their lives and that they are starting their day right. I have been trying to tell my husband and son this! I am a stickler about a bed being made first thing.
strong relationships – joining a group, throwing a party, and just showing up.

Source: The Today Show, 4/30/10