Posted by orchid on May 25, 2006, at 13:15:10
In reply to Re: Has your therapist ever recommended this?, posted by Michael83 on May 25, 2006, at 8:50:31
Yes. What you have said and found is true. It is very important not only to eliminate negative thoughts, but to fill up our mind with positive ones. And it is not possible to just think positive thoughts and fill up our mind with that. You have to *do something* positive. You have to take proactive steps which will lead to positive and happy experiences for you.
They could be as simple as taking the effort to go out and meet some friends when all you want to do is to lie down in your bed and be alone. It could be to listen to some good music, watch a comedy show, do some gardening, go play something. All these little little things add up in the end. One of my friends remarked to me a long time ago, "It is not possible to fill up a pond in one shot - it has to be filled up through millions of droplets of water. Same way, happiness and positive mind frame has to be built little by little". Both my therapists recommended me to do any and all of the above activities.
Also, in addition to it, finding one or two causes for which you are dedicated, helps you to maintain a positive frame of mind. It helps to know that you are here for a purpose - whether it be to serve the society, or serve God, or protect nature, or protect the most endangered species - in whateve form, having a higher goal in life than oneself helps to maintain happiness.
Also, unfortunately, modern society is leading to more and more aloofness and loneliness in the name of privacy. No one in the right form of society should stay in the night all alone by themselves. It is a hard task for our emotions - possibly triggers age old fear of living alone. So, try your best to find someone to stay with (maybe find a roomie) or something. That will definitely help. I am like a tiger in the day time, but a very weak and scared cat in the night. And it is the truth for many people, whether they admit it or not. It is one of the basic protective instincts for any zoological species - built by millions of years of instincts based on the most primitive self protective mechanisms and when modern therapists say that you should be able to be happy to be all alone, they are wrong.
Hope this helps.
poster:orchid
thread:648239
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20060517/msgs/648419.html