Think happy thoughts?

Oh, dear. If you’re a person who stresses easily or who gets very frustrated when you get stressed, you’ve probably been told a thousand times that you’re just being negative, you shouldn’t worry so much, that you control your thoughts and you have the power only to think about positive things.

If everyone’s health was exactly the same at all times, maybe this would be true.

The fact is, some of us are clinically depressed. Some of us are eating a food we’re just a bit allergic to, and have no idea. Some of us have allergies we’re all too aware of, taking up valuable time and energy from our bodies. Some of us are anemic and have no idea. And some of us had some really awful childhood programming – whether from a parent who thought they were doing the right thing or one who just didn’t care – and haven’t had time for that 20 years of therapy it would take to eradicate that stuff.

You see where I’m going with this? You can only fully make the choice to think of positive things instead of negative ones if you’re in good health. If your health is compromised (and clinical depression is a health issue, too), you may find that negative thoughts just pop unbidden into your head. Some people have morbid thoughts, like what if a loved one is killed in an accident? Others are plagued with feelings of inadequacy. Some try to obliterate the bad thoughts with alcohol or drugs; others read self-help books.

There is something you can do. Well, a couple of things. First, obviously, you should search for what the real problem is. But in the meantime, you can take a few minutes every day to meditate. When unpleasant thoughts pop into your mind, imagine them as bubbles and let them float away until they’re gone. Don’t get frustrated that they come; let them. Let them roll through your mind, but don’t let them stop and take root.

It’s not a magic cure, but with any luck you’ll find two things happen: the thoughts attack you less often and your mind begins to learn that it can ignore them.

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Posted in Health and Beauty on October 15, 2007