The Five Things I Do to Help Me Feel More Positive

Peggy tagged me to share 'five things people don't know about me'. I decided to focus on the things that I do on the days I feel depressed or anxious, or know that I want to do something totally self-destructive, like eating nine raspberry choc logs before breakfast.

#1 I dance

In my lounge, or on the dance floor my #1 mood enhancer is to dance. You might even spot me getting jiggy with it at the supermarket.

I started dancing as soon as I could walk. According to my mother I used to get excited about bagpipe music (really? Thank goodness I’ve changed!). These days I’ll dance to pretty much anything, and I’m taking lessons in ballroom and latin dancing.



#2 I watch my dogs play

I have the world’s most adorable dogs. No, seriously, they are just the cutest most fun dogs to watch. They romp around the yard chasing each other, playing tug of war with sticks (aka things they dug out of their mother’s garden grrrr) and generally being sweet. Honestly, there is nothing that lifts the mood like the joy of two dogs having fun.

#3 I walk

With my dogs of course! We go to a park or we walk around the streets. For me it’s a form of meditation that clears my mind and helps me focus. When I’m feeling sluggish it adds to my energy and if I’m feeling agitated it helps take the edge off and calm me down. Over the weekend I found a fabulous new park with a waterfall and stream. It was incredibly peaceful to look at the water running down the rock face.

#4 I journal

When things are bothering me I get it out of my head and onto paper. Sometimes I simply write down everything I can think about the subject but more often I use rational emotive therapy to record things in sections. This process helps me move through the different thoughts and feelings and helps me see things in a new light.

A – Activating Event
This is the first section. I write down what actually happened. Maybe someone said something that upset me, or I expected something to happen and was disappointed when it didn’t. I write down everything that actually happened in as much detail as possible. Sometimes that’s enough – I look at what happened and realise I am worried about nothing.

B – Beliefs
Next, I write my beliefs about what happened. Say I went into a store and the shop assistant was rude to me. My beliefs might go something along the lines of, “Hey! I’m the customer, you gotta treat me with respect.” Or “The customer is always right” or “You should be trying to keep me happy not dissing me because you didn’t like the way I was dressed.”

C – Consequences
What happened as a result? This is where I write how I felt about what happened, and what I did as a consequence. Using the above example I might say that I felt angry or that I felt as if the shop assistant put me down. Then I’d say what happened next. Perhaps I was so angry I started slamming doors, or decided not to buy something and then regretted it as it was something I needed.

By this stage I am usually feeling much calmer but if I haven’t worked out the kinks in my thinking then I move on to the next steps and debate and dispute my thinking, and try instead to find a healthier way of thinking.

#5 I find a friend

I ring a friend to come meet me for a hot chocolate or take a walk. If it’s the middle of the night or no one is around I might hunt down an online friend, or go to an online community, such as a forum or an online gaming room.

Check out my free forum on emotional eating, depression, stress management and more...

Sooooo now I get to tag five hapless victims to tell us, 'five things people don't know about me'

Come on down...
Alan at A View from the Waterfront
Flattie at The Cat House
Thomma Lyn at Tennessee Text Wrestling
Snoskred at Life in the Country
Rashenbo at Writing Aspirations