By Emily J. Jacques -
Apparently, many of us living in the Western world have lost our joy of living. At any time, one in twenty Americans aged twelve and up are clinically depressed. Those of us who have escaped that level of depression fight it on a regular basis. Whether it’s a result of PMS or stress at work, even the most positive person can sometimes find him or herself down in the dumps.
Of course, those who receive the label of “clinically depressed” often have physiological problems at the root of their depression. In general, however, our lost ability to enjoy life stems from being too busy, and/or listening to the wrong voices.
With that in mind, let’s look at eight ways you can reduce stress and find more happiness and peace in everyday life.
1. Stop watching the evening news. You don’t “need” to watch it. You’re not going to be less informed if you miss it. Most of what you see there is either fabricated and/or biased in such a way to make you afraid. Or angry. Or hateful. Spend the last hour or two of your day engaged in quiet activities that you enjoy. You might find yourself considerably less depressed just be doing this one thing!
2. Take regular nature walks. Quiet walks among the trees or along a body of water do wonders for the soul. And don’t bring your cell phone or iPod along! Consider these walks as breaks from the modern world.
3. Early to bed and early to rise. Admit it-you get crabby and nothing seems to go right when you’ve gone without enough sleep for several days. Unless you’re already going to bed between nine and ten p.m., make a goal of getting in the habit of going to bed an hour or two earlier. Then stick with it, and watch how much easier life becomes to endure!
4. Explore Bach flower essences. I couldn’t believe it the first time I tried this remedy. I had that horrible PMS symptom where I hated everyone and everything. A couple drops in a glass, a few sips, and
Wham! I was back to a good mood in less than ten minutes. You can find Bach flower essences at health food stores, and find more information about them both online and in the alternative medicine section of bookstores.
5. Eliminate an activity. If you are busy with volunteer work, on top of a regular job, five or six days of the week, do whatever is needed to give yourself an extra free evening or two (or a free weekend at least once a month). The world won’t fall apart because you step down in order to have the leisure time you need to be creative and productive when you are working.
6. Cut back on your kids’ activities. Your family will bond and cooperate better if you spend time together-which you won’t do if three kids are in three different places four or five nights a week.
7. Take up a hobby that you love. Now that you have more free time, pick that knitting or woodworking or poetry writing back up. Or if you’ve never really had a hobby, assess your interests and gifts and begin a new one.
8. Listen to music you love during down times of the day. It will relax your mind and body, and generally help you to feel refreshed.
Are you ready to live a happier, more peaceful life? Try some of these suggestions, and watch your bad mood become a distant memory.
Emily Jacques is a natural health nut, mother, and online wellness coach. Want to improve your health and enhance your sense of well-being? What better way than to receive coaching every week from someone who wants to see you excel in every area of life!
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