Hi,
This is Theresa Conte and thank you so much for joining me today.
Today is the second tool in the Just for Today series,
Which is inspired by the Al-Anon bookmark by the same name.
Today's tool is about deciding to be happy.
It reads,
Just for Today I Will Be Happy.
This assumes to be true what Abraham Lincoln said,
That most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.
Now,
I know that may ruffle a few feathers as it had initially ruffled a few of mine.
I was like,
How can I shift my focus to being happy if I'm struggling with a challenge or perhaps multiple challenges in my life?
Well,
The thing is the brain tends to have 60 to 80,
000 thoughts a day and most of those thoughts are repetitious,
Meaning we tend to repeat the same thoughts over and over again in our minds and those thoughts are generally related to things that we're worrying about.
The interesting thing is,
Is that it's been shown that approximately 90% of what we worry about never actually happens and that the 6% that does happen we handle much better than we gave ourselves credit for.
So,
As we continue to repeat those dominant thoughts in our minds,
Whatever they may happen to be,
Like today's going to be a tough day,
It's raining out,
I don't know how I'm going to get through this,
I have way too many projects at work,
Or whatever it is,
We tell ourselves we're continuing to train our brain to lean in that negative direction which can cause multiple effects in the body like stress,
Anxiety,
And depression.
So,
Just having repeated those thoughts to tell you the truth,
I feel a level of stress in my own body.
So,
Let's get back to the tool.
You can think about making a decision to be happy as setting an intention for the day.
For instance,
When I wake in the morning,
I set the intention,
Just for today,
I will decide to be happy because I don't always wake up feeling that way.
And I've got to tell you that I've used this tool a number of times and it works.
Some days,
Sometimes it's a little easier than others and I may need to repeat it several times throughout the day.
But I would have to say that 90 to 98% of the time,
I find this tool to be very effective.
I tend to think about tools like this as taking them into the lab.
And of course,
The lab is our life.
So,
Why not give it a try and see what happens?
Test it out for yourself like an experiment.
So,
Why not try it tomorrow morning when you wake?
Or maybe right now as you're listening and declare for yourself,
Just for today,
I will decide to be happy.
As you continue to use the tool on a daily basis,
Over the course of time,
You'll be training your brain to lean in a positive direction,
Which will eventually become natural and become a more dominant thought in your mind.
For instance,
We've likely all heard that doing something for 21 days helps us shift our focus and change our habits or create a new habit.
So,
Thinking about or worrying about the same thing consistently is a type of habit or pattern,
If you will.
So,
Give the tool a try and see what you notice.
Now,
If you're experiencing trauma,
This might not be the best tool for you.
Breathing exercises and processes like EMDR or heart-brain coherence would likely be a better match.
But,
If you're dealing with everyday challenges that have been going on over the course of time and are taking a toll on your sense of happiness and well-being,
Today's tool may make a significant difference in your life as it has in mine.
Thanks so much for listening,
And if you found today's tool helpful or interesting,
I'd so appreciate your leaving a review and comment letting me know how it works for you.
Thanks again,
And wishing you a most wonderful day.
