Hypnotherapy and Hypnosis - News and Articles

Can we choose to be happy?
Posted on Nov 10 2010
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It's that time of year when many of us find our moods affected by the weather or other external factors. We wake up to the dark mornings and when we look out of the window we see grey skies and rain - and we only have the ice and snow later in the winter to look forward to. Or perhaps hearing the daily countdown to Christmas on the TV and radio is enough to send your stress levels soaring - yes apparently its only 6 weeks to go and I've done nothing to prepare yet ... surely this makes me a bad person?

But what if we could choose how to feel, choose how we react to things outside of our control - even choose to be happy?

Now, before you click off onto another web page, I'm not talking about "positive thinking". I don't believe I can make myself happier by telling myself 10 times each morning that I feel great. Just telling myself something over and over again is not going to have any real effect and even if I do feel better for a few minutes the reality of the day ahead often steps in and brings me back to earth.

But there are easy steps we can all take towards feeling more positive, and there are some deceptively simple techniques we can use.

One easy technique which I often ask my clients to do as "homework" between sessions is called The Three Gifts. According to scientific research this small task can have a greater impact on depression than taking prescribed medication. Although, obviously, if you are currently taking medication please don't stop taking it without talking to your GP first.

So each day, preferably just before bed, just take a few moments to look back over the day and think of 3 positive or good things that have happened. They can be really tiny things but just think of something that made you feel good or brought a smile to your face. You can keep a small notebook just for that purpose. As the days go by you will begin to notice yourself looking for the "gifts" as you go through the day and by focussing on the positives the negatives can begin to fade more and more into the background. Just try this for a couple of weeks and you might be surprised by the difference in how you feel.

When I started writing this blog entry the skies were pitch black and the rain was beating against the office window. But suddenly now, a brilliant ray of sunshine has broken through and is shining into the room ... perhaps that can be one of my Three Gifts for today...

Last changed: Nov 10 2010 at 10:05 AM

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Hypnotherapy and Hypnosis - News and Articles

Can we choose to be happy?