Over a period of time, I have heard that the simple things in life are the ones that count. So, when I feel down, I walk to the nearest supermarket, buy the largest slab of white chocolate that I can find and devour it in a few moments, without offering any to anybody. What can be simpler than that and more deeelicious? I love chocolate and although I do not allow myself to eat it whenever I feel a need to do so, I have been known to gobble up far more in one go than anyone else I have ever met.
I once heard a talk by a laughter specialist who said: Laugh often and laugh loudly. Feel alive and then get active. Well, the feel alive and get active part was easy, but when I felt down, the laugh often and laugh loudly part was a bit more difficult. Although I used to be the kind of person who laughed a lot, it happened more infrequently when I was battling schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s in my family.
On television I hear professionals say; when the tears come, endure your grief and then move on. How right they are, but what they omit to do is to give a detailed recipe for doing so.
Health books are full of ‘cherish and preserve your health and if your lifestyle is unstable, find ways of improving it’. Only then did I notice the addendum: If you are unable to do this alone, seek help.
What I have discovered is that it makes me feel warm inside when I tell my loved ones how much I care for them and love them at every opportunity.
Another lecture was about not being afraid of failure. The lecturer said; ‘You have all failed many times even though you might have forgotten about those failures. The first time was probably when you tried to toddle at an early age and toppled over. When you swam for the first time, you might have felt that you were drowning. Maybe you messed up when you tried to swipe a ball with a bat or throw the basketball into the basket. But, you didn’t give up, did you? I know that I didn’t.’
So, whenever I feel down, I think about all the tips I have been given over a period of time, and they do help a bit.
