How To Reset Your Default Emotion To 'Happy'
You can recondition your mind just like you condition your body.
Getty Images | Unsplash, marekuliasz | Canva Everyone seems to be pursuing happiness and wanting to know how to be happy, but happiness should come naturally and easily. And if it doesn't come naturally to you, there's a way to reset your mind and make "happy" your default emotion.
Happiness is a state of mind, a state of being, and an art, and we create happiness in our lives by taking specific action steps. In each moment, we choose what we focus on and what we do. In doing this, we create our hologram of reality in which we reside. Every second, we create our hologram of being and our state of happiness.
5-step plan for resetting, emotionally to 'happy'.
1. Stake claim to your own thoughts
What we think about is a choice, but often our mind goes to a default program created from our past experiences.
When we allow our mind to go back to past situations, the emotions from those experiences, good or bad, come rushing back to us. They keep us in the past and prevent us from truly experiencing the present moment in its fullness.
Photo: krakenimages via Shutterstock
2. Determine your current default program
One way to know this is to start to notice what our mind drifts to when we are not doing a task. What thought comes up in our minds? That is the default place our mind goes to when it is free to pull up anything.
When we have a thought (any thought), it carries energy and creates pathways in the brain. The more we think about a subject, the stronger that path in the brain becomes.
If we think about past hurts or traumas, the path can become very strong and pull our minds back to those thoughts simply because it has created such a strong connection.
To get off the worn pathway of thoughts and create new joyful ones, we must recognize that our mind is doing this.
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3. Choose a new mindset
Consciously choosing a new, positive, and more present time and focus can help move our mind away from our old patterns.
We must release those old (sometimes negative) thoughts and refuse to allow them into our present moment and state of mind to achieve happiness. In this way, we nurture ourselves by taking a new path and avoid the continuation of thoughts and emotions from the past that no longer serve us or improve our lives.
Each morning, as we awaken, we should choose how to approach that day. We should choose to do it with a cheerful, grateful heart, thankful for all our blessings. This is a positive state of being that brings forth joy in our lives and the lives of everyone around us.
We may need to change what we are doing to create a new, higher-energy feeling and shift our state of mind. We can take a walk outside or listen to uplifting music. When we do this, we start creating a higher vibration and get our mind on the present moment. We can make new pathways in our brains to offset the old patterns by creating new, stronger, and more positive connections.
4. Steer your mind away from negativity
It is a choice. It may not seem easy.
But, when we concentrate and focus, it gets easier. Any time we start to do something new, we are creating change. Going for positive change and focusing on positive, present-day moments can be a powerful way to create peace in our hearts. This can help manifest new possibilities for happiness and unexpected miracles to occur.
Whenever fear or doubt comes into our mind or heart, it automatically lowers our vibration and becomes like a vortex that leads us onto a downhill slope. Avoiding this can be handled by simply recognizing this and forcing our minds to think of something more constructive. When these fearful thoughts come into our mind, Gregg Braden (an internationally renowned scientist who has combined science and spirituality) teaches that you should say "Not To" and immediately think of something else.
5. Write down your worries & your miracles
Writing down your worries will get them off and out of your mind. Write down all of the miracles, small and large, that have occurred. However small they are, they will build your energy in a positive direction and help your mind to focus on the good and positive aspects of your life.
We want to cultivate a daily habit of creating positive change in our lives, and the power of thinking positive thoughts in our minds is a wonderful place to start.
As the famous saying goes, "What we think about, we become.” Words can be powerful. A positive vocabulary is an effective step to embracing a more joy-filled life.
I remember a blind lady that I worked with named Milly. She was not wealthy. She was very challenged financially. Every time I saw Milly and said hello and asked how she was doing, she would always greet me with a cheerful smile and answer, “I am blessed.” It was her state of being. The other people in our group I worked with didn’t always feel the same way that she did.
But as she attempted to learn new skills to help her maneuver through her life without being able to see, her positive attitude stayed with her and created a happy place for her to live in her heart and her world. In addition, it made a happier place for all of us around her.
I also volunteered at the homeless shelter for many years. I was always amazed at the kindness so many of the people carried with them during the day. It was inspiring and heart-warming.
Everyone faces challenges in their life in one way or another. It’s how we choose to respond or react that we can control.
If we choose to respond with kindness, love, and peace, we get that in return. I have found that to be true more times than not. Focusing on the present moment, looking someone in the eye, connecting on a heart level, and responding lovingly can transform situations in miraculous ways.
When we choose to have a calm, peaceful, and positive state of mind, we find happiness can be a state of being.
Nancy Addison is a nutritionist, educator, best-selling author, international speaker, healthy chef, and radio show/podcast host. She teaches people about living a healthier, happier life through nutrition and lifestyle.