Happiness Is A Switch In Your Head

Growing up my dad used to always say, “Happiness is a switch in your head that you don’t have to reach for via your anal sphincter.” Can I just tell you how much I hated that saying? I’d cringe every time he’d say it. I got what he was trying to say; it was my choice whether I wanted to be happy or not. Message received and message questioned. As a mindset coach, I’ve come to understand we’ve got an amazing power to choose. We choose what we say. We choose what we do or don’t do. We choose what we think. We even choose the narrative we tell and believe, which ultimately impacts how we feel BUT...and this is a BIG BUT... sometimes going from feeling crappy to feeling happy isn't as easy as just choosing and flipping a switch. Sometimes that's just too huge a leap to make. And sometimes in trying to make that leap we wind up feeling worse. If you relate to what I just shared, I'd love to share a little something I've found helps to shift my mood/feelings. I call it Incremental Shifting and here's how it works... Let's say I'm feeling down in the dumps, 1) I think about what's the most doable feeling I can muster on the opposite end of the feeling spectrum. Maybe all I can muster is feeling a sense of peace or calm. 2) I brainstorm things I can do to feel peaceful or calm (deep breathing, meditating, journaling, etc.) 3) I pick one thing from my brainstormed list and do it. What I've found happens; Incremental Shifting often produces a chain reaction where the end result is feeling better than the incremental feeling I chose. If you decide to give Incremental Shifting a try, let me know how it worked for you. Until next time, stay safe and well!