Terri O'Reilly
Phone: 0404 390 502
HOW DO I GET HAPPIER?
Feeling unhappy, bored, hopeless, flat or sad are all normal human conditions: contrary to what social media or glossy pages in mags would have us believe.
If you experience a lack of lustre every so often – normal. But if you think or feel this way on more than the odd day or two, you should investigate the matter further to rule out any serious conditions. The essential place to start is a trip to your GP to investigate biological drivers like depression.
If your physical health all proves clear, then it would indicate your mood is a result of emotional and psychological functioning.
Don’t let your brain control you, you control it.
If you’re asking yourself how you can get happier, start by looking at your Locus of Control (LOC). Your LOC is your belief about how much control you have over your world. Someone with a high LOC believes that they are the master of their own destiny, they take responsibility to both the good and bad things that happen to them. They make plans to change what’s not working for them and they learn from their mistakes. They believe their world and their experiences are mostly within their control. They feel empowered by this thinking and positive about the future.
Conversely, someone with a low LOC believes in fate, fortune, chance and luck. They believe that bad things happen to them because they are unlucky. They believe that they have little, or no influence over their world. People with a low LOC often say things like “bad luck always happens to be”, “what’s the point of me doing anything anyway” or “nothing will work out the way I want”. When people like this experience illness or negative events they are unable to look at what they have done to cause the unwanted outcome. They are usually more negative about their lives and the future than people with a high LOC.
If you think your LOC might be on the lower end, you can make a decision to change your belief systems, critique your decision making and put action plans in place around how you can have greater influence over future events and circumstances..
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You are what you think and all your behaviours and actions stem from your thoughts. Critique your thinking and ensure you focus more on positive thoughts rather than on the negative ones. The more positive things you see, the more you will continue to see. You’ll become honed in on more joy in life and the negative experiences will become more insignificant and out of your daily radar. You’ll tend to attract more positive experiences into your life and positive people will be attracted to you.
That’s not to say that we don’t address problems that arise in our life. We look at issues, focus on how to correct them, get an action plan and then implement it. Obstacles to happiness occur for everyone. But we address them as quickly as possible and then move on and continue to focus on the good things that we have.
In addition to making our lives more enjoyable, positive thinking has significant health benefits including:
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Longevity
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Reduced chances of depression and distress
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Better immune system
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Better general psychological and physical well-being
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Better cardiovascular health
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Reduced stress
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Don’t waste any more precious time asking yourself: how do I get happier. Make a plan to implement changes in your life and changes to the way you think, then go on to enjoy a rich, full and meaningful life.