Winter is a tough time for many people, especially people here in central New York. We are surrounded by snow, and almost every day we are getting more snow. The days are shorter and we spend more and more time inside. Depression rates run high during the winter months. It is a hard time. So how do we dramatically increase the joy in our lives?
Everyone likes to feel good. However we tend to react to situations instead of taking control over our lives. When things go wrong for us we tend to sit around waiting for it to pass, hoping that something or someone will come to rescue us, to help us feel better.
Instead of sitting around, what if we had a plan for pleasure? I am sure that there are things in our lives that make us happy, things that put a smile upon our face every-time we encounter it. For example, no matter how hard of a day I have, no matter what goes wrong in my life, when I walk through the door and see my wife and children I can’t help by smile. Or when I have things on my mind, things that I need to think about, I will take out my guitar and start to play. This helps clear the thoughts out of my mind and it helps me focus on the task at hand. Not only does it give me time to think, but it allows me to pray as well.
The times that I have been hurt the most, or the times I have felt lost and alone, I turn to God . I leave my worries and my cares in God’s hands and I feel much better about my life, I have a clearer pictures of what I need and who I am.
So have you ever thought about making a list of things that help you? Do you really enjoy listening to music? Cooking a delicious meal? Watching an inspirational movie? Also have you thought about who do you turn too when you need help? Do you have friends you trust? Can you turn to family? Have you ever turned to God?
If you had a list of a couple of dozen things you could count on for a good time, you’d have plenty of options the next time you wanted to create a pleasure-producing experience. If you had a list of people to turn too when you need a shoulder to cry on or an ear to listen to you life might be a little easier. I have been trying to add to my list every day.
What about you? How do you create you own happiness? How does your faith play into it?
