Find Happiness

(Coping with mental Illness and other brain illnesses.)

A long time ago, I attended a support group with the lecture topic: Stop making yourself unhappy, which left an indelible impression on me.  We all experience times of sadness, but there is a difference between being sad for a period of time, and not getting over it.

• We were advised to learn to move on.
• We were reminded that there is no button to press that automatically makes our dreams come true.
• I learned to believe in myself and give up the idea that I could control my destiny.
• I learned to smile and enjoy the scenery en route to my destination.
• I learned that we all make mistakes and even when things might be running smoothly, they might not always continue to do so.
• I learned that failure was a part of my growth.
• I learned that worthwhile goals needed persistence as well as a great deal of work.
• I learned to change my attitude to a lot of things and become more optimistic.
• I learned to take nothing for granted.
• Some months after that meeting, I actually made a list of the negative as well as the positive aspects of my life and … guess what? The positive aspects outnumbered the negative by far.