by: Kaitlyn Bennett Everyone has bad days, for some people those are the only kind they know. They can remember being happy and they can try to recreate that feeling of joy but at a certain point there is no point. There are many different ways to treat depression. The most commonly talked about are therapy and antidepressant pills, however, there are other ways to find happiness again. It all starts with the mind. One can train their brain to think more positively, by writing down their negative thought and asking themselves for evidence about that thought. For example, say someone woke up one morning and they couldn’t imagine getting up and starting their day. They could ask themselves why they are having a hard time finding motivation in starting their day, and why they are not excited to see what the day might bring. If there is evidence for this, then they can think more about the evidence they find. In this scenario imagine that person had a presentation that day but their anxiety was holding them back from wanting to present. This person could then ask themselves why presenting makes them so anxious, and go about finding a solution. Of course this is an extremely hard task and when someone is in a depressed state of mind it can feel impossible to even begin this process, which is why there are other ways. Finding happiness can be a long and hard road, but one should not feel as though there is any sort of timer on them. Learning to enjoy life should be a personal and slow process. Studies have shown that “rewriting your story” can be very beneficial in this process. Rewriting your story is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Take a pen or pencil, a piece of paper, and write down an event or time in your life that you would like to understand a little more. After writing this down reread it and change the things you wish you could have changed. Literally rewrite the story of your life to make it fit who you are and who you want to be. This will help you understand not only the things that have happened to you in your life and the feelings you have surrounding those experiences, but it will help you get a better idea of who you are as a person. Another way to make yourself happier in life is to stay active. Many studies have been done that prove physical activity makes people happier. This activity can be as simple as walking around, doing some jumping jacks, or going outside for a bike ride. Simple things like this can boost a person's happiness almost immediately. Lastly one of the most effective things a person can do to change their happiness is take a look at their community and where they live. Living in a place where one can be surrounded by positive people who are motivated and want to do as much as they can with their lives is a very healthy environment to put oneself in. Living around that kind of energy is very healthy especially when someone is not in their best state of mind. This is a short list of strategies one can use in their path to happiness, but a very helpful one. Doing any one of these things can and will bring a change to ones life, one must simply give it a try. Link to full article Link to hand picture Link to happy face picture Parker-Pope, T. (2017, November 15). How to Be Happy. Retrieved December 7, 2018, from https://www.nytimes.com/guides/well/how-to-be-happy?&action=click&module=MoreInSection&pgtype=Article®ion=Footer&contentCollection=Mind&redirect=true
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Ms. Carrigan's Psych ClassWe have been reading articles about psychological studies to inform the way we live our lives. Please explore, and we hope you learn a bit about the psychology in your life! Categories
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