Ten Ways to Fight Misery – Learning to Find Satisfaction
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It’s easy to be miserable. All you have to do is allow every negative thought, comment or event in your life to become your focal point and misery will grow and propagate.
Some people become so attached to misery that they wander around inevitably searching for the same old dramas, pleasure and pain, loss and gain, praise and criticism. For each one of us the pathway to satisfaction is slightly different because of our own unique expectations and experiences. But we all travel the same road when it comes to our thinking. Our thoughts can make us vulnerable to anxiety and worry about the future.
Avoiding misery is possible but it requires that we be sufficiently conscious and aware and consistently choose the high road. It’s a decision to choose contentment and happiness and it’s a decision we can remake at every fork in the road.
To fight misery you must:
o Keep small problems small – avoid turning molehills into mountains. There are probably a thousand things that can go wrong every single day. Don’t get lost in the thick of thin things and don’t overwhelm yourself by magnifying small problems into major obstacles.
o Think Positive – Don’t dwell on problems. When you spent all your thinking time feeling awful you are wasting the most valuable time, the present moment. Being here in the present moment allows you to appreciate reality for what it is.
o Don’t worry about the things you cannot change. The stock markets, the economy, the current value of your house, are not influenced by the amount of worry you put into them. Put your energy into areas of your life that you can control, and resolve to leave the rest to their own natural evolutions.
o Don’t procrastinate. Putting first things first makes you more effective and avoids having to deal with urgent crises, deadlines and projects.
o Take responsibility for your mistakes. Steer clear of the blame frame. When you blame others for problems you become a victim. Victims are powerless. Taking responsibility is proactive and expands your influence and freedom
o Accept and acknowledge your limitations and weaknesses. When you are able to identify your mistakes you give yourself an opportunity to learn from them. Don’t beat yourself up. Empower yourself.
o Practice right speech. These simple rules can become a habit, before going off on a rant when things are going wrong, ask yourself: Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary? Right speech is respectful and has integrity.
o Accept help. Each one of us faces our own individual journey through life alone but we can travel together bound by loving support. Remember the best we can ever do is to support the people we love.
o Travel the high road; avoid the path of least resistance. You will never know what you can do if you keep the status quo of unhappiness. Taking risk, reaching out of your comfort zone will enrich your spirit and give your hope and optimism.
o Sharpen the saw. This is a daily process of renewal, making gradual changes from day to day. Paying attention to your body, your mind and your spirit allows you to take progressive steps toward improvement.
Being happy is your spiritual birthright. An ancient Chinese saying advises:
“If you want happiness for an hour take a nap, if you want happiness for a day go fishing, if you want happiness for a month get married, if you want happiness for a year inherit a fortune, if you want happiness for a lifetime, help someone else. If you want eternal happiness, know yourself.”
Letting go of misery is the first step toward realizing your own nature. You will still experience sorrow, anger and grief but in more appropriate ways and at more relevant times.
As Thich Nhat Han says, “there is no way to happiness, happiness is the way.”
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Source by Karen Pesta
