Let Personal Growth and Gratitude Put Some Spring Into Your Step!
One of the most challenging daily obstacles to overcome if we want to live our best life is our mood. Our perspective on how our day is going, how we met or missed our goals, and what our circumstances du jour is — can all make or break how we feel (aka, our mood).
Well, buckle up buttercup — there’s no better time of the year to find ways to improve your mood than springtime! Spring is a natural time for renewal, a season that brings us longer hours of daylight and warmer temperatures, all the perfect ingredients for growth.
In our case, we’ll focus on personal growth and finding ways to feel more joy by improving our mood.
It’s not reasonable to be happy all the time, however, if we consciously commit to working on our mood, the results can tip the scales toward more pleasing moments of joy than not.
Yep, you read that correctly — it requires work.
Most of us are not naturally skipping around with a big fat smile on our face. Life after fifty can throw us big curve balls that sock us in the you-know-where, and it can be tough to rally up a positive mood and keep a spring in our step.
So, what can we do to keep bouncing back with positivity and not allow the curve balls to slam our mood?
Gratitude. It’s the absolute best way to turn your mood around. No matter what is going on in your life, it helps to improve your mood to consider that your day could be much worse.
Even when grieving the loss of a loved one, which is as bad as life can get, we can consciously focus on the good, the times we had together, the beautiful memories, the warmth and treasured moments. Feeling thankful for all we have and the blessing to experience it helps shift our mood away from only feeling the loss.
It doesn’t feel like it some days, but we do have control over our thoughts. It may the only thing we have control over at times, but nonetheless, understand that we are our own Mood Boss.
Realize that you alone are the big kahuna when it comes to your thoughts, perspective, and mood. You cannot let other people or events in your day steal that power from you. And if you realize you’re giving up your strength, do the work it requires to take it back mentally.
You alone have control over your how you view your life, your day — this moment. It’s your choice to make the most of each moment of your life. Do you want to wallow in feeling sorry for yourself, or for the circumstance you are in, or would you prefer to feel empowered?
Listen up Mood Boss; take your moody thoughts by the cojones and lead them where you want to go. Work at shaking off the bad mood by tapping into gratitude. Set out to notice and appreciate each day and each moment of your life as a precious gift.
Immerse yourself in the season that is spring and do the personal work it takes to learn to be more present, to feel renewed, to feel thankful. Let the longer hours of spring daylight give you more opportunities to look around and consciously count your many blessings.
Put some spring in your step by mindfully choosing the mood that will help you experience the most joy on this day and will lead to living your best life.
