There is a way to feel instantly happy, calorie-free, available everywhere at any time, with no negative side effects. Hard to believe? It’s true, possible, and very easy.
Give.
I was a sensitive child and although I was tough (thanks to rambunctious older siblings) I was easily hurt. My mom was always very supportive, she would help soothe me with a delicious treat, a trip to the mall, or a hug and a song. Sometimes though, I would get stuck in my hurt bubble and not be able to escape. Mom would call this “pity party” time, and remind me this is not a party anyone wants to attend. Well, I certainly didn’t want to be alone, so I had to snap myself out of it. As a child, emotions are more flowing, so it wasn’t long before I’d be back to my happy self.
It gets harder to do this as an adult. And with all of the chaos in the world right now, you may be feeling far from happy most of the time.
Happiness is right here, just do this simple thing:
Give.
An act of service will take you immediately out of your pity party, and into a feeling of self-worth, love, and happiness.
You don’t have to do much, just reach out to a friend or someone you know who is in need. Think of someone who is grieving, even if their loss was a month or six months ago. Grief doesn’t have an expiration date, it’s never too late to reach out and simply say, “I’m thinking of you and I hope you are doing well.”
“I’m thinking of you.” Is such a powerful statement, everyone needs attention, everyone needs someone to come to their party, even if it’s a pity party. I had a lot of these types of parties after my mother died in 2007, and more after my husband died in 2016. Sometimes people came, and sometimes they didn’t. But when I recognized that I was throwing one of these parties, I would remember how to leave.
Give.
There are always people in need, who can benefit from the gift of your presence. If you are fortunate enough to have dollars you can share, give to a favorite charity, even if you give annually, an extra gift is so needed during these difficult times. Increase your gift.
I was at a meditation retreat this last week and had the great fortune to spend time with Deepak Chopra, and Jewel. I witnessed a conversation between them that reminded me of how much good there is in the world. It reminded me that we can do good, at any time!
I was so inspired by their contributions to improving our world, I decided to focus my writing this week on what they shared. To be happy, make someone else happy. It is the immediate completely effective antidote to feeling blue.
Of the many many things Deepak Chopra contributes to this world, one speaks to me especially, through the Chopra Foundation an organization was born that helps people who are suicidal. It is an artificial intelligence bot that has been trained to help people overcome suicidal thoughts and plans. Seems incredible I know, but it works. Currently, Piwi, (the bot) is credited with saving over 500,000 lives and has had 11,000,000 contacts with people in need. If you are interested in learning more here’s the link: https://choprafoundation.org/events-initiatives/never-alone-suicide-awareness-prevention-campaign/
Jewel’s organization is saving children from abusive homes and other childhood traumas and teaching them, through mindfulness, self-compassion, and gratitude practices to become self aware. The organization is a huge success. If you are interested you can find out more about it here: https://inspiringchildren.org/
Even if you are unable to give, read about these organizations and you will be uplifted by the news of their success.
There are some really great things happening in our world, we just have to look for them.
Make someone happy today, you’ll feel better.