How To Be Happy In Life Despite Discouragement

There are days I feel completely drained, depleted, disillusioned, depressed and wrestle with an overall sense of discouragement with life, discouragement with being a mother. I cannot remain at high levels of optimism and positivity at all times, it's just not going to happen. I am human, as is everyone. We all succumb to moments of negativity in varying shapes and forms. It's natural. Our world highlights the negative making it easy to fall prey. However frequent or easy it may be to harbor feelings of frustration or doubt or anxiety, we still strive to seek authentic happiness and personal fulfillment. The simple act of being a mother may make us happy and yet it may also be the main source of our discouragement. Motherhood is loaded with emotions, any of which may bubble over the surface at any point in time. I have noticed, however, that the times I feel discouragement seeping in, this negative sensation has a way of making itself very comfortable within me and wants to stay long term. Thus begins a mental battle. Part of me yearns to dwell in my misery and mope around feeling sorry for myself, while another part of me is screaming to get over it and move on already. If I truly desire authentic happiness and personal fulfillment then discouragement and depression have no place in my being. They must be dealt with and then swiftly removed from the premises. Here's how: Finding happiness and regaining control of our emotions and mental attitude when we feel discouraged or depressed calls for a simple two step process. Yep, that's it, just two steps and you're back to your normal happy self. Step one: Acknowledge your feelings. There's no use in denying or ignoring your emotional state. It will affect your every action and thought so you might as well face facts and just state aloud what you are feeling. Give it a name and description, be specific. It's OK to actually allow yourself to be discouraged or depressed or frustrated or whatever it is. Feel it, give in to it, let it envelop you. Stay in this state for a while. But here's the key, no longer than 30 minutes. Yes, feel sorry for yourself up to 30 minutes. That's all you get. Step two: Once 30minutes is up (or less) get up and force yourself to do something active. This is the secret to finding your happiness again and feeling the authentic happiness we long for. I know you're not going to want to do anything, it will be difficult to remove yourself from your state of depression or discouragement, but you must. Be strong and move. Do something physical, active. Go outside for a walk or jog, exercise, make dinner from scratch, work in the garden, get outdoors and play soccer with the kids, ride a bike, clean up the yard. Do something, anything, physical that will exert your body. If you sweat, even better. If you're outside, perfect. Do this physical activity for at least 30 minutes. Stretch yourself, make it a challenge. Get the blood flowing so your body will release endorphins. Upon completion you will regain a sense of authentic happiness. You will have defeated the negativity and shifted into a state of true well being. Finding happiness and personal fulfillment can be as simple as employing these two steps. Trust me, this is exactly what I do when I'm overcome by discouragement or depression and it works every time. I write an entire series on different ways you can find happiness and personal fulfillment as a mother. For your FREE subscription click here . where