Always Choose Joy
Posted on August 20, 2014 by Erica Portillo, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
If happiness is a choice, who wouldn't choose it? Duh. It's much harder when you're in a negative place to pull yourself out into the light.
When I came to the realization that happiness is a choice (and not just beams of sunshine and glitter that randomly rain down upon us) it really transformed the way I perceive events that happen in my life. Sounds so simple to just choose joy or happiness. Of course, we’d all choose that over feeling bummed if we had to. Duh. But, when you’re in the trenches of some really serious issues-whether they be family or relationship problems or coping with depression-it can seem impossible. Recently, I’ve been learning to manage my stress and not allow it to consume me. We all know how stress can lead us deeper down the dark hole where negativity is magnified. Stress can not only make us feel like crap, but can lead to health problems and even weight gain because of the cortisol pumping through us. Enough reasons to gain power over your feelings and stress, right?! We all wish we could control EVERYTHING that happens in our lives, as well as the people in it. If they JUST listened to us, everything would be perfectly fine! Haha! Wish it worked that way, but it doesn’t.
We have to wade through our feelings of disappointment, sadness or hopelessness and search for that tiny little, waning light. There is always some shred of positivity, even in the worst of times. So, try to reflect and look objectively at a problem, rather than just reacting to it. If you have to freakout for a few moments, fine, but then try to look at the issue calmly, relinquish your control and still choose happiness. Release that little pent up ball of stress that sits in your chest…What’s the point of holding on to it?
When we recognize we do have control in our lives and we are actually quite powerful, since we are in control of every part of ourselves-our thoughts, feelings and actions, we may feel more optimistic about dealing & coping with what life throws at us.
So, today I choose joy. Erica xxWant to hear more of my thoughts or interested in 1-on-1 coaching? Visit my blog at ask-erica.com!
