August Happiness Challenge

I found this little challenge on One Gal's Musing (thanks to McClendon Villa who is also, PS Annie, who knew?!) and decided to give it a go. I've got happy, but daily posts? We shall see. I do agree though, that talking/posting/reading about happiness can rub off on a soul and that's never a bad thing.

As is my usual style, I'm arriving late to the party. Odd though, since I'm never late in 'real' life. Ha! It was suggested that we mark our challenge posts with an icon. Something that means happy to you. I made this because- daughters and granddaughter.

There's nothing in the world that makes me happier than the people in that picture. I owe four 'happys'.

Happy #1: This little cutie who blessed our family on July 7:

Happy #2: These four who have been blessing my life for the last 31 years with more love, laughter, and joy than any mom could ever imagine!

Happy #3: This little love of mine that has been blessing me for the last 8 years:

Happy #4: These boys who make three of my girls smile and laugh instead of cry. Hey, and for the one who can no longer make one of my lovelies sad. Because she got rid of him. But I'm not putting his picture on here. :)  I wonder who will be the first to say something about the pup coming before the boys? LOL

Ok, that gets me started on the August Happiness Challenge!

Are y'all doing it?

Positive Rituals

Have y'all adapted any? I finally have, but it wasn't easy.

I've been working on this for a little over a year now and, I have to say, it works pretty well. It does take a lot of effort, determination, desire, motivation, attitude, persistence... Even though it doesn't happen overnight and people do try to get in your way, it's possible to develop positive rituals that keep you focused on the good and help you turn away from the negative. Even those negative people who seem so determined to thwart your efforts for whatever reason.

Here are the things that I've found work for me in most stressful/negative situations-

• Deep breathing. You might not believe it, but it really does help. It works as a calming effect and allows me to cool down and think straight which enables me to evaluate whether or not the situation is worth my time. Usually, it is not.
• Forcing a smile. I was shocked to find that this works. Regardless of the situation or my mood or if I'm just suddenly aware that I'm not smiling, I force a smile on my face and I, immediately, feel a difference in the tension. I become relaxed and a feeling of calm/peace/relaxation comes over me. Just by forcing a smile on my face. When you force that smile, the negativity/stress leave and your whole attitude changes. So what if people look at you funny. You're happy. 
• Stopping and taking a step back. This has been a really hard one for me since I'm one of those who tend to take a step into someone's face. But, when I do it, it does make a difference. It helps me re-evaluate and take a calmer, more positive approach to resolution.
• Turning my back on the negative. This has been easier than expected. Once you get a taste of how positive feels, you really don't mind turning your back on the negative. No matter who or what causes it. 
• Laughing when negative comments are flung in my face. This is a work in progress. But I'll tell y'all, if you can do it, it makes you not care who is saying it or what they're saying. 
• Self pep talks. Yep. I give myself pep talks. As soon as I feel a negative thought coming on, I'll say something like, "Just get through it; You can do it; It's fine/ok." There are times I say things like, "Ignore it, he's an idiot and you know it," but I don't think that's exactly what I'm supposed to be saying. :)

As with everything else, this is a work in progress. The journey is long and hard, at times, but is always worth it. And, I've found, with a few positive rituals in place, I am freed to learn instead of complain; to enjoy instead of hide; to laugh instead of cry...

What are some of your positive rituals? 

Energy

I remember the energy I had as a child. As a teen. As a young adult.

What happened to all that energy? Where did it go?

Did it get all used up while raising the lovelies? 

I think that maybe the energy level of humans should increase as we get older instead of decrease. But, since it doesn't, I've had to discover ways to keep my energy level up.

Here's what I've got so far:

• Exercise- being active, and I'm talking about exercise-the kind that gets your heart rate up for a period of time-seems to be key. I know this because of the previously sporadic nature of my exercise efforts. The truth is, when I'm active, I have more energy. When I'm not, I have less. 
• Positive attitude- making up your mind that you are going to have a good day, every day and then DO IT. It's not hard. I used to think it was, but it isn't. The trick is that every time a negative thought tries to creep in and thwart your efforts, you shove that b@tch right out of your head. Before you know it, they will all but stop coming around because they know it's not going to work.
• Keep life simple- do what you can without adding stress. If you can and feel like it, then do it. If it's going to cause stress, don't. If it's a HAVE TO that causes stress (make sure it's a HAVE TO), then make up your mind to just get it done and do it. VIOLA! It's over. A good purge is helpful here too. 
• Organize- let me tell y'all, I have tons to organize after raising four daughters. But it's quite a daunting task. This is another one that requires simplifying. I do it in spurts- a little at a time. The difference is not that noticeable at first, but the end result is fantastic. And it keeps the stress level low.
• Healthy eating habits- I've noticed that when I cut the sugars (even the organic) and keep my foods organic (nothing processed), I have more energy and a clearer- mind. Amazing.

These are just a few ways that I find helpful while trying to keep my energy level up. I'm sure I have many more to discover.

What do y'all do to keep your energy up?

I'm linking this post to the fifth post of the April, A-Z Challenge!

 

Ok, let's see what y'all came up with for the letter 'E'!

The Glad Game

Do you ever play the Glad Game? You know, the game from Pollyanna? (Just skip to the 1:17:37 mark for the part I'm talking about, unless you just want to watch the entire movie)...

It's one of DoodleBug's favorite movies to this very day. And we try to remember to play the Glad Game every time we are sad/mad/frustrated/etc. It certainly helps keep my holiday spirit alive when people try to steal my joy.

I know it's difficult sometimes. And I think that there might even be some things out there that happen that are just impossible to overcome with a positive spin (though I have a relative who had what I think is the worst ever happen to her when she was growing up and she has been able to do it--not sure I could in that situation...OH and the relative who faces MAJOR health issues DAILY and has since birth and still puts out the most positive attitude I've ever seen/heard).

But, why not at least try to play it every day?! Just to keep ourselves in a positive/appreciative/happy frame of mind! And, who knows? Maybe if enough people start playing the Glad Game, more and more would start realizing that it's not about warming up with 'MeMeMeMe' but about how we make others feel. What we do to make life special/happy/pleasant for others. The happier, more positive we are, the easier it is to spread the joy.

Here are just a few of my 'glads' (warning--they go all over the place):

• Deanie will not be home with her sisters for Thanksgiving. But I'm glad she'll join them in coming home for Christmas!
• I miss my grandparents terribly all the time- most especially during the holidays. But I'm glad they instilled such lasting, comforting, priceless family values in me that I've passed on to the lovelies and that thoughts of them make me appreciate my life.
• My dad is going through radiation for prostate cancer. I'm glad that he's still with us and that the radiation seems to be working for him and that he has a doctor he trusts completely.
• I hate that there is so much cancer in the world. I'm glad that the list of survivors grows longer all the time which means we are kicking cancer's ass.
• It's a travesty that giant, biotech empires like Monsanto are poisoning the population. I'm glad that more and more information is getting out there about these companies and people are able to make more informed choices. 

Let's get the ball rolling! Share what you're glad about----

On a Positive Note--

Since I've been working on my positivity this week, I decided to put a new ringtone on my phone. That way, every time it rings, I'll be reminded to think positive thoughts!

Anyone remember this one?

We're under a tropical storm watch. I can hear the surf from my bedroom windows and it sounds pretty rough. The storm, Alberto, is predicted to stay in the Atlantic. It's like a perfect storm-a few effects (which I enjoy) but nothing serious. So we have storm without fear!

Hope y'all have a lovely Sunday!

Misleading Thoughts

I have them all the time. And they can lead me down a dark path of negativity. Which is not good for anything.

Negativity makes me grumpy. Mean. I don't like it.

Part of my attempts to get healthy and fit includes mental health and fitness. This week, I've been working on recognizing negative thoughts when they first pop up in my very active mind. I've focused very closely on each thought and have been pretty darn successful in stopping them dead in their tracks. You wouldn't believe how many negative thoughts cross my mind on a daily basis.

Some of this is changing the way I look at things and change it from the wrong way to the right way.

Wrong thought process: This is going to suck. I have to unhook the Wii and hook up the DVD player every single day in order to do the shred. And THEN I have to do it in reverse so that we can watch Netflix if we want.

Right thought process: I'm quite lucky to have the opportunity to do the shred right here at home!

Wrong thought process: I can't do this. It's too hard. (In reference to the shred or running)

Right thought process: I can do this! When I first started running I could hardly go 20 feet--look at me now! And it will get better and better! When I first started the shred I couldn't do every exercise all the way through- now I can do all of level 1 and I'm getting there on level 2! Everything gets better if I work hard at it!

Wrong thought process: I'll be doing this crap the rest of my life. (In reference to diet and exercise).

Right thought process: With this lifestyle change I'm going to live to be 150! (Ok, maybe a stretch, but who knows?!). 

Wrong thought process: I have to go on the side of the house to turn that darn pump on every day.

Right thought process: I'm not going on the side of the house to turn that darn pump on every day anymore because I saw a snake over there!

Ok, I'm kidding on that last one. Sort of. But you get the idea. I have to change the way I look at things. And this gets me away from all that negativity which, in turn, makes life so much more fun!

Of course I now have to figure out what to do about those people I come into contact with on a daily basis who are not only surrounded by negativity (the type who walk about with that dark storm cloud over their heads and want everyone to know it's there) but also seem determined to bring the rest of us down with them.

They can only change themselves just as I can only change myself. Meanwhile, I'm going to continue working on changing my thoughts and making life that much more pleasant! 

How are your thought processes? How do you protect yourself from cloudy people?

Meany Me

Getting my mental 'Zen' on is not as easy as it may sound. While some of you might be the sweet, loving, kind type who never have a negative or hateful thought about anyone or anything- there is at least one person who is not like that at all.

Me. I'm the one.

So this whole get your mental Zen/think positive outlook is not simple. The good news is- it's doable.

I started by making myself very aware of the things that I am grateful for and made a special list every night in my daily journal. This got old. Quickly.

Then I started writing only positive thoughts in those journal pages. That didn't work either. Let's face it- I get frustrated and angry at some people and situations and I use the journal to VENT. Trust me- I NEED an avenue in which to vent. It's actually very good therapy.

Next, I bought one of those SMASH Journals at Michael's (oh how I ADORE that store and, no, I'm not getting anything for this. It's just the journal I chose for this project.). And I turned it into a combo of a thankful journal and a journal of positive thoughts/ideas/goals/dreams/etc.

I got the red SMASH book because---it's RED!

The first page is a Thank You! page...

Some pages have motivation for the things I want to do--can you tell what's foremost in my mind?

Some pages have things I'm grateful for...

Some pages have encouraging statements...

There are pages with notes from the lovelies that always remind me to be grateful- here's one example from a few Mother's Days ago (yeah, they kind of do make me proud...very proud)...

 And pages with tips for being positive...

These are just a few of the pages I have made in my grateful journal. This seems to be working for me. It reminds me that I have a great deal for which to be thankful and keeps me focused on the positive. It also keeps me aware of my dreams and goals. Just because I'm in my 50s doesn't mean I can no longer dream or have goals.

How about y'all? Anyone else out there with a grateful journal?


By the way, do any of you follow Jesse over at Jessee's Spot? No? I'd be so grateful if you would stop by and consider giving her a follow. She's trying to get 100 followers! She would be really grateful too!