Staying Positive when Everything is so Hard!

These days I find myself longing for what was. When I do this, I am often sad, bordering on depression. I think of what I don’t have rather than of what I do have. As soon as I recognize that I am in that place, I have to do something about it. To stay there is not good for me, or anyone else. I realize, however, that many people are in the same boat. I’m not in this alone. I can get myself into a better place, but I know some people have difficulty getting to a better place. So here’s what I do. I hope my practice is helpful to you.

Being in a place that is harmful to my state of mind can only happen if I let my mind go there. But, sometimes my mind is a stubborn thing and fights against control. It’s during these most difficult moments that I need to employ my best tools for staying positive. Darkness needs light in order to be dispelled. So during these very dark times I fill my environment with light. The strongest light I can find is hope. So I look for hope wherever I can find it. I can always find hope in planning for my future. When I long for what was, (Which I can never recapture anyway) I’m sad that I’ll never get it back. When I plan for what I will do tomorrow, next week, next month, next year; I plant the seeds of hope.

What kind of plans do I make? I plan trips. I plan meals. I plan gatherings. I plan projects I want to complete. I plan articles I want to write. I plan for anything that will bring me joy in the future. Then I share my plans with people I care about and who care about me. In those conversations about my plans an excitement comes into play. Together we start to anticipate the fun and satisfaction we will have. The future starts to look brighter. The road ahead has hope, while the road behind is only a memory. To get my mind out of sad places, which seem to be all around me, I look to the future. Our future is still full of hopes and dreams. I choose hopes and dreams! You can too!