10.04.07
Just Feel Better
To the person who came to the blog after searching “feeling sad when trying to do positive thinking,” it’s only natural. We’ve been trained that things need to be hard. Here’s some comfort though (hopefully): You don’t have to feel awesome all the time. We encounter things that make us sad so we can ask for the things that make us happy. The contrast is how we grow and fine-tune our preferences. Further, it’s just not possible to go from feeling sad to feeling blissful. It’s too big of a leap and there’s no way to access thoughts of bliss when we feel down.
The way to stop feeling sad is to choose to take a little step towards feeling better and generating a feeling of relief. If you’re depressed, the feeling that may bring you relief from depression might be anger. So get angry. If you’re feeling disillusioned, the feeling that may bring you relief could be optimism. Just step as high as you can in any given moment. Reach for thoughts that bring relief and as you reach for them keep asking, “Do I feel better or worse?”
The beauty of this is that you will immediately feel some relief, and the more you do it the better you will feel. The other fun part of this process is that the more you do it, the more it will become an unconscious process and you’ll feel bad less and less. The ideal is looking forward to contrast as you realize that the contrast is helping to bring you what you actually want.
Paul Martin said,
10.07.07 at 12:30 pm
Also, I think it helps to engage in activities that tend to foster more positive feelings - for example, if you’re feeling depressed, get yourself to take a walk or bike ride.
Kimberly said,
10.07.07 at 3:05 pm
Well, it depends on what activities make you feel better. For some it’s exercise, for some it’s a creative project–but in the end it’s what we’re thinking that’s going to have a long-term affect on how we’re feeling.