"Those who feel miserable inside often stay inside; those who want to get misery out of themselves get themselves out of the house and find something to do" (Bytheway 21).
Unfortunately for us, living in Washington makes it hard for us to, "get the sun in [your] hair and wind in [your] face" (Bytheway 21). Instead of waiting for the rain to slowly make its way out, we can celebrate it. Instead of singing, "Rain, rain, go away, come again another day" we can ponder the beauty in our earth being clean again.
One of my favorite things to do is read, it calms my nerves and helps me to concentrate on the good in my life. Even in the miserable times throughout my life I can always pick up "Pride and Prejudice" and giggle at Darcy's awkward-ness. I can always be able to have a Harry Potter marathon with my dogs and by the end I always having an overwhelming love for Professor Snape by the end. But, of course, I also enjoy being in the summer sun, without the stress of school hanging over my shoulders. Small things like listening to a new record or getting new music to listen to or even just waking my dogs up in the morning give me the most joy. Although these may be seemingly useless things in the real world, it is important to take time off weather it be an hour or three weeks just to yourself to become mentally stable once again. John Bytheway adds, " Sometimes even moving the lawn is great therapy for getting depression off your turf'" (21). "This one makes a net; This one stands and wishes. Would you like to bet. Which one gets the fishes?"
-Chinese Rhyme
"Be not afraid of growing slowly, be only afraid of standing still."
- Chinese proverb
((What are your favorite things to do to help your mind take a break?))
Bytheway, John. How to Be Totally Miserable: a Self-Hinder Book. Shadow Mountain, Salt Lake City, Utah. 2007
My favorite things to do to help my mind take a break is to go on my trampoline, take my dog for a walk, and to go on YouTube to watch funny videos.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy to do those types of things as well. Its always fun to be able to embrace you inner kid sometimes :) thank you for your input!
DeleteI completely agree with your post - being miserable takes effort. You have to focus on the negative and spend time dwelling there. Being happy, similarly takes effort, you have to focus on the positive and mindfully spend time dwelling there. Some of my favorite things to do are: being with my kiddos, yoga, hiking, paddleboarding and reading. I find that I can get a lot out of these events IF I am really fully present and not distracted by thoughts of drama that happened throughout the day or my to-do list that I need to accomplish afterwards. I think that in addition to just doing what you love, you need to really remain invested in those activities while you do them. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteI agree. Its definitely more difficult to have pure joy when you are distracted by the stress of everyday life. Its always important to while you are doing the things you love, to be 100% there in the moment or else you will regret it. Thank you for your response!
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