Lift Your Spirits, Rabbi Zelig Pliskin

#945 Lift Your Spirits
Here are some ideas to help you feel better:

(1) Fill your mind with happiness-producing thoughts. Create an encouraging inner voice.

(2) Remember the positive moments of your life. Re-experience the positive feelings you had when you lived through those moments.

(3) Get in touch with your moments of strength. When you felt strong, how did you create those feelings?

(4) Increase your sense of meaning in life by doing meaningful things.

(5) Create enjoyable mental imagery. Visualize yourself being joyous.

(6) View your depressed feelings as a challenge that can eventually help you to elevate yourself.

(7) Find some positive way of looking at each event and situation in your life.

(8) Keep a diary of the good things that happen to you.

(9) Keep a self-mastery journal to give you a greater sense of empowerment.

(10) Engage in physical exercises such as brisk walking or running.

(11) List ten reasons why you can feel better even though you are experiencing difficulties.

(12) Each day, do acts of kindness for others.

(For a series of probing questions on this topic, see Rabbi Pliskin's "Gateway to Self Knowledge," p.193-7)

Why Do You Care What They Think?

Do you find yourself trying to please everyone? It's not only impossible, but not in the least desirable. If you give the farm away, what is left for you. Take care of yourself first -- if you don't, where will you get the energy to take care of your loved ones?

A client told me that she had to please everyone at her job. When I asked her why, she looked at me blankly. She thought that if she did enough, magically, everyone would love her.

For self-healing, I recommended mirror therapy. Can you live with what you see in the mirror? If so, if you are in your integrity, then you are on your way to a successful life.

Certainly, you have to please your boss and meet the needs of your clients -- but can you make the whole world happy? Not likely. Spend your time, effort and energy where you will get the greatest return. And be happy!