Cultivating a positive, healthy attitude

[Dako]

S2S

 

That's why you're my mentor.

 

--Your grasshopper

[ramsickle1369]

Awesome thread!

Elasticity is control. Having control over yourself when unfortunate events or occurrences happen is the same thing as being able to embrace everything that comes your way, good or not. It happens, you accept it, and deal with it accordingly. If you had no control over yourself, you would lack any foundation to work from if something bad happened.

This really spoke to me! For the past year and all the drama that ensued, I felt helpless and out of control. I was searching and searching for an ounce of control over my own life. It eventually occurred to me that being flexible and taking things as they come was the only control I did have! It also helped me feel like I HAD control of my own actions and attitudes when everything around me was is such disarray.

 

My personal experience over the past year helped me learn to deal with very negative circumstances in a peaceful way. I think it’s about leaving the perceived “control” to a higher power. When you relinquish the need to “understand” you can more easily accept and move through it. As stated above… things just are. We can react in a manner that blows everything into a massive ordeal, or we can react in a state of calm and peace and things will blow over much more quickly.

 

I read in a book that there will always be ups and downs. The trick is learning to not over-indulge in either. When things are good, enjoy them and expect (but don’t dwell on) the fact that the bad will inevitably arrive. When the bad arrives, believe that the good will return once again. Why only remember the negative when there is so much positive?

 

You can actually “control” the outcome by the actions YOU take. When a situation is overwhelmingly negative, rather than being dragged into it where you’ll inevitably feel worse off, take a step back and allow the situation to unfold. Then, when you feel you have all the facts, respond with a considerate tone. When you approach something positively, you will likely get a positive response.

 

Control what you can. Let go of what you can’t.

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! Let's make it a great one!

[Juliana]

"However, when the situation is bleak, it isn't good to try to convince/brainwash ourselves about it as though it isn't what it is. Sadness and discontentment are healthy in their own ways because they propell us to achieve and to improve if taken correctly."

 

I agree with this. I don't want to look at things that are inherently cruel or damaging, and try to find a way to tolerate it; I want to find a way to change it.