Can we Feel Happy When There's so Much Bad News?

Sometimes it is difficult to feel happy when we're continually bombarded by negative news in the media about things such as tsunamis, earthquakes and wars.

As a result, it is easy to become downcast and feel sad allowing our thoughts to dwell on negative things. How can we handle this and maintain a joyful and positive attitude and feel happy? I believe that we can do it by overcoming the negative thoughts with positive thoughts. We need to bombard our minds with positive thoughts and train our minds to think on those things that are happy, joyful and uplifting.

Here are some tips to help us to feel happy:

Forgive yourself

Forgive yourself for mistakes that you’ve made in the past and don’t dwell on them. Put the past behind you. Learn from it but don’t beat yourself up about the mistakes you’ve made.

Forgive others

If people have hurt you forgive them. If you hold grudges and become bitter it will hurt you more than the person you feel bitter about.

Help others

The best way to forget your own problems is to help other people who are in need. Everyday someone needs help in a variety of ways. Is there someone nearby who finds it difficult to get out who you could shop for? Send a greeting card to someone and tell them how much you appreciate them. It could brighten their day.

Think on things that make you laugh

This could be the antics of a pet or it could be happy times that you spent with friends or some great times that you had on holiday. Think on these sort of things and before long you’ll feel happy again.

Listen to uplifting music

Keep a CD handy or put your favourite happy songs on your MP3 player. Listen to them in the background and it will keep you from getting down.

Be thankful

In your life you can find much to be thankful for. Start with the basics like your health, home and food, clothes and family, friends and pets. Make it a daily habit to give thanks for the wonderful things that bless your life.

Have a Vision

Have a vision for what you want to achieve with your life and work towards it. Read books like, "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren to help you find purpose for your life. Start your day this way. If your mind is preoccupied with reaching a worthwhile goal for your life you won’t have time to be unhappy.

Read uplifting books

It’s good to read inspiring books including biographies of successful people. Reading how they have succeeded and overcome obstacles can inspire you to do the same. It’s good to watch biographical films for the same reason. It’s especially good to do this just before going to bed. You will find that you sleep better if you read a positive book or watch an uplifting film just before retiring. Do not watch the Late Night News. Most news in the papers or on TV is bad news because bad news sells, so it will send you to bed with negative thoughts and disturb your sleep.

Conclusion

Happiness is an attitude and it can grow if we help it along. The more often you choose to think happy thoughts rather than sad thoughts the easier and faster it is to become happy and joyful. The benefits of this are enormous because when we feel happy our physical health improves too.