Inhale, Exhale, Repeat After Me… It Will Be Okay

Housing shortages. Political upheaval. Employment problems. Covid mutations. Natural disasters. Supply chain issues.

It sure feels like we are being inundated daily with news that hits like a gut punch. It is confusing and, sometimes, downright depressing. Even if you do not watch evening news, or read news online, you likely feel these global effects.

Perhaps you went to the store and found that over half of the items you needed were missing from the shelves. Maybe you went to your favorite restaurant and encountered a long wait because there were not enough employees for the shift. Or, worse yet, you discovered that the restaurant closed due to catastrophic understaffing. Not including shipping problems or the quadruple pricing issues for everyday supplies… These are only a snippet of some small inconveniences and not the big picture.

Despite all the “bad” news, there is one surefire thing you can do to help turn down the intensity. Start by acknowledging that the one and only thing you have control over is YOU. Take an inventory of the personal attitude you project and carry into each day. Consciously self-regulating your responses and thoughts can ease the burden of external pressure.

A tool to shift away from stress inducing thoughts is to make reflecting on what went right a daily goal. Begin by replacing overwhelming challenges with achievable targets. Was the coffee you ordered made correctly? Did you find an item you thought lost for good? As the saying goes; it’s the little things. If you celebrate the winning moments of your day you will begin to feel your perspective shift. Reflecting on the good things, both large and small, places ripples of positivity throughout the pond.

Consider this message to be a reminder that empathy goes a long way. Not only empathy for others, but empathy toward yourself. Self-love helps you remember that you are human. As such, you only have so much influence over what comes your direction. Through sharing a desire to look for the good in things you may find that others start to feel motivated to do the same.

We can only fix the big things by starting with the small things. A beautiful stained-glass window cannot come to be without each individual grain of sand. Working together to get through what can feel like unsurmountable change will take an effort. By centering focus on all that is good, the benefits impact everyone. You will not regret choosing happiness and joy.

If you feel up for a challenge, try using a happiness calendar with daily goals. I recommend the organization Action for Happiness. A sample may be found via this link: www.actionforhappiness.org/october