5 Suggestions For Emotional, Physical and Spiritual Well-Being

I recently came across a quote that has stayed with me for days now. The quote is: "choice, not chance, determines your destiny... happiness and love are just a choice away." I think that so often we allow our emotions to be dictated by what goes on around us and outside us. I allowed this to be my reality for so long in my life. But, the older I get, the wiser I am becoming. I am so utterly convinced that one does not have to allow outside and external forces to dictate how one will feel or what emotion one will experience at any given moment of one's daily life.

It's all a matter of CHOICE. One chooses to be happy or miserable. Allow negativity to overcome you and life will be a miserable thing to endure. Allow positivity to take over and life can become a joyful experience. It takes work and practice! But the more one chooses to be positive about self and others; the more one chooses to look at life from an upbeat and positive perspective, the more joyful, peaceful and balanced life becomes.

Here are 5 suggestions of things to do to make your life more peaceful and balanced:

1) Stop all negative thoughts about yourself and/or others. Catch your "stinking thinking" as you are doing it. Re-think that thought in more positive terms. For example, if you finding yourself thinking how terrible you are, STOP yourself and talk yourself through that thought by saying things like: "I am not terrible; I am a child of God; I am talented and gifted; people appreciate me and love me because I possess qualities that attract others to me; I am an awesome human being..." etc... Again, this requires work but the more you work it, the easier it will become and the happier you will be;

2) Be Grateful. There is so much in life to be grateful for. The more negative we are, the more difficult it is to see the good in ourselves, in others and in life in general. Sit down and compose a gratitude list. Think long and hard about the things or people that are blessings in your life. Jot them down. Come up with at least 7 things that you are most grateful for in life. As you identify those things for which you are grateful, express your gratitude to your Higher Power. At the end of everyday, compose a list of at least 3 things that happened to you in the course of that day for which you are grateful. Gratitude makes us focus on the positive stuff of life and this will help us in becoming more and more joyful and at peace;

3) Pray, Meditate or do Yoga. Call upon your Higher Power. Incorporate positive posture and breathing techniques in these exercises. Allow these spiritual exercises to do what they were meant to do, namely, promote spiritual growth, develop positive thoughts, strengthen your mind and body, improve your concentration and develop greater patience;

4) Laugh. Lighten up and don't take life so seriously. Laughter is great medicine for a sound mind, body and spirit. Read funny quotes. Look at the newspaper comics section. Go to the internet and do a Google search for funny stories, jokes and quotes. Enjoy and laugh. Life has to be fun. Work and seriousness without playful fun is not the way to maintain a balanced, positive and peace-filled life;

And last but not least,

5) Maintain a healthy connection with good friends. Always make time each day to talk with those you know who know you and love you. Honestly share your thoughts, struggles, hopes, joys, defeats and victories with them as you listen to them share theirs with you. Make time throughout the week to hang out with friends. Go to the movies, go out to dinner, or just spend a quiet evening with them at home preparing a home cooked meal, watching a game or just plain talking. Friends are our best support. Don't take them for granted but enjoy them, celebrate them and appreciate the tremendous gift they are to you.

Commit to the above and I guarantee that life will be for you what it is meant to be: a celebration of love and goodness to be shared and appreciated. Even when bad things happen or tragedy and sickness strike, the 5 suggestions above and the CHOICE to remain happy, positive, upbeat and at peace will make a tremendous difference in your life as well as in the life of others.

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