Looking back at some of my recent posts it struck me that they’re tending towards the darker side of life. It’s an old habit I’m trying to break!! Not wanting to give a false impression and unduly spread gloom, I’m going off in seach of the lighter side. There is one! Trust me! I guess you know it already.
Taking responsibility for my life firmly in my own hands my mood is my choice. Here’s some things that help me turn on the light switch.
None resolve whatever underlies the dark, but getting in a positive frame gives me inner resources to identify what’s missing and do something about it.
1 Remind myself it’s a choice
On the dark side there often seems to be little choice. There is! It takes some practice but I remind myself how I react to what’s going on around me is largely, if not entirely, my choice. I can react pretty much any way I want. I can sink into a dark pit or I can press the button and illuminate. I’m fortunately living in a stable, peaceful place with little to get gloomy about – which certainly helps. I’m inspired by others who manage to keep their humanity in the most extreme situations. Read Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning
2 Music
I collect and listen to a lot of music and there’s definitely some mood changing qualities in it. I choose music to match my mood or to help change it. My current uplifting beats of choice are, for a reason that I’ve yet to fathom, My Chemical Romance and Muse.
3 Talk to someone
I don’t mean visit a therapist or seek a shoulder to cry on – just a good old fashioned conversation does it for me. I spend much time on my own and I like it that way! However, when I’m not in contact with others I have a tendency to slowly drift into the dark side. I have several shining people I can call on and I know we’ll talk about nothing in particular and with the lightest of touches.
4 Walk in the park
Works for me mainly in the Spring and Summer where there’s more life, colour and sunshine. Even in the Autumn and Winter the parks are so beautiful … and just touching the life there helps wake me up. Crunching through the snow on the ground or feeling the sun on my face always lifts my mood.
5 Read
I’m currently reading Naomi Klein’s The Shock Doctrine
6 Clean up
There’s nothing like cleaning the apartment and throwing out stuff to brighten the day. I recently deleted my entire Email inbox (sorry if any of you are waiting for a reply!). One press on the delete button was a real flash and throwing out everything I’ve not used recently is a real brightener. There’s nothing like a clean start!
7 Do something for someone else
I’m not so attracted to buying stuff so retail therapy (for myself or someone else) just doesn’t do it for me. Giving some time and attention does. It could be a simple phone call or mail to say ‘thanks’, sending an article I think might be interesting or offering to do something with no expectation of return. It’s a reminder that my presence in the World might mean something.
8 Escape for a while
This is a last resort and usually involves switching off for a couple of hours and any film or TV show will do. I’m currently working my way through the X-files at the moment. 45 minutes of mindlessness works wonders. Writing this blog has a similar effect!
9 Go to sleep
When I wake up to the sunrise things always look a whole lot better.
“It’s always darkest just before the dawn”
10 …..
I don’t have a tenth and I’m really curious to hear suggestions … what do you do to flip the switch?
Similar Posts:
- Music
- Stop making me happy!
- Lament for my world
- Something for the weekend – light
- Feeding the wolves
- Garbage dump of natural beauty
A change of venue. Whenever I get stuck in a down turn, I go out for a coffee, a bike ride, a walk, you name it. I change my surroundings and get some fresh air.
Stepping out of the routine – like getting up, just for the fun of it, at 4AM, do some exercises outside, do 30min of meditation, have a cup of tea and start with writing creative stuff…
Or going for a run or cycling, out out out, just like Dereck. That always changes the mode I am in.
You had me at the recommendation to read “Man’s Search For Meaning.” It’s a powerful book. Even though it’s been a while since I’ve picked it up, it still comes to mind when I’m facing a tough situation.
You’ve got some excellent ideas here. I’m looking forward to reading more.
Laugh. At yourself, at the situation. Find the humor. It’s always there. Sometimes just forcing yourself to smile makes all the difference in the world.
Dereck and Robert … exercise, fresh air and change of scene! Yes! Exercise has always worked wonders for me too, I just get into bad habits and forget about that one! Definitely adding it to me list.
Lyman … welcome (and many thanks for ‘Stumbling’ this! It’s my first Stumble!!!!). And also thanks for the kind words! Hope to see you back again.
Suze … I need to extend my list to 11 now! I personally find it hard to force a smile – though what does work is to find someone who naturally smiles a lot and catch it from them. Fortunately there are a few around!
Hi Ian,
Great Post! I think if I really need it I go for a walk. Or I meditate. I like to focus on my breathing. People may laugh at the concept but breathing exercises really work!
Ill stumble this too!
Cheers,
Jeremy
I love #6. I try to give myself at least an hour a week to declutter my home. Getting rid of useless books (ie: Windows 95) and other things I simple do not use or need. It makes me feel light, and helps clear my mind.
Hello Ian,
Outstanding! Thank you for sharing such an insightful post.
#10 Journaling, Prayer, Reading the Bible are just a few suggestions for you to consider. They always seem to work for me.
Yes, I’m a first-time visitor.
Manchild
Jeremy. Great comment. Thanks for dropping by and I’m not one of those who laughs at the idea of breathing. It’s at the core of life and focusing on it brings us back to our core. The list just continues to grow! Lot’s of resources for getting back on the lighter side.
Carla. Good to see you here. I’m impressed at the idea of throwing out books. These are something I tend to accumulate and I’m inspired to try it out.
Manchild. Also good to see you here and hope you don’t stay as as a first time visitor but come back again. I tried journalling for a while and now rarely use it. Blogging seems to have taken it’s place. Prayer and reading spiritual texts … great idea. It’s a reminder that I’m connected to the core of all things.
Hello Ian,
I agree. Many bloggers and aspiring authors treat their blogs as high-tech journals. But there are some things that are still too personal to share online.
Yes, I’ll be back when time permits. Glad that I stumbled across your site.
Thank you for sharing.
Manchild
Force myself to mentally go through my list of things to be grateful for. Helps every single time.
Manchild … yes. There are some things that I would not want to blog about and are best kept to myself or to my journal!
Vered … I like it! I hope it’s a long list! From a look at your blog, it seems to be! Welcome and hope you’ll be back.
[...] Peatey presents Dwelling on the lighter side posted at Quantum Learning – nonviolent [...]