Naturally sunny

Hello. Barbara asked a question...
I will reply here. She asks have I any tips and/or tricks for keeping morale up, or am I naturally a sunny person? I have probably touched on some of this before, I wrote about changing a negative to a positive in 2018, here is a link. I also made a video about it, link included in the post.

Another link to a post touching on the subject, from 2016. Ten good reasons why...

And a third link to another post in 2016, Cheer up it might never happen.  These all come under the sub headings of Reflections on life and Observations, which you will find on the side bar.

So, I will add a bit more to this as Barbara is asking for tips and tricks on keeping morale up. Will try not to lecture, scroll on if you are not interested.

EMOTIONS. We are all dominated by them, If we didn't have emotions our lives would be meaningless. We would have no purpose, and no direction. There are a range of emotions, fear, anger, love, hate, and sadness. I can dilute my emotions, I try to keep them in check, because to give in to them means things can go horribly wrong. People say you should not hold back on your emotions, I say they can be controlled.

To a certain extent I have a tough outer shell, and a squishy soft centre. Most of the time I let nothing penetrate my hard exterior. Some of the time my softer emotions  will catch me off balance, and I can be a sentimental softy. Not about my own life because that is sorted, but when I see the emotions of other people, how they struggle, what makes them sad or happy, that can have an effect on my emotions. I wish I could do more to help, to heal their pain.

FEAR can diminish morale, if you let it. I am fearful that I may not have time to complete all I want to do. I don't waste time thinking about what I have missed out on, but rather think about living in the now, not in the past. I look forward with optimism.

ANGER can be a destructive force. Someone who is angry for a lot of the time are denying themselves a happy life. I don't get angry, I cannot have a row with anyone. You might see me sometimes publish a troll comment so I can reply. I will let it go on for a while so I can say my piece, but then I delete it because it's a waste of time. I am not responsible for someone else's anger, it's their problem.

LOVE is another emotion I keep in check. It has wafted in and out of my life over the years, but because of my reluctance to take responsibility for someone else's life, or allow someone else to be responsible for me, it's fairer for both parties that we go our separate ways.

HATE is another destructive emotion. When you hate someone you only hurt yourself, so there is no point. Hate and anger go hand in hand, I don't see any of that in myself. I feel a little bit hurt if someone hates me, or is angry with me, but it's out of my control to do something about it. Their destructive behaviour belongs to them, not me.

SADNESS can be debilitating. It is natural to be sad, natural to have a good cry, oh how I have cried in the past. It needs to be kept in check though. Prolonged bouts of sobbing could mean an underlying illness, and should be checked out with a doctor.

Tips and Tricks, this is what I do. Be dogmatic, be determined that no one is going to screw up my life. As I have said before I take full responsibility for myself. There are things going on in the world which I have no control over. Kicking and screaming, cursing and swearing, crying and moaning, or punching someone will not make one iota of difference.

Practical things I can do. Change my routine to include an element of surprise. We all have a tendency to follow our little routines every day. Get up, ablutions, have a drink, eat a meal, go to bed, life can become a bit boring, if you let it. I have a little voice inside telling me to jiggle things around a bit, change the order I do things. If I am hungry I eat, not hungry, don't eat. I might swap breakfast for lunch, or have a bowl of cereals at night. I vary the times I go for a walk, depending on what I feel like doing.

Yesterday morning I imagined I was on holiday. The open fields, the tracks I was walking, the sunshine, the quietness, the solitude. Being outside in nature is empowering to me. What might have seemed a boring walk to some people, I imagined it to be a little adventure. It's times like the present when it helps to have an vivid imagination.

Naturally sunny person? Yes I am. I am able to think myself happy, because I can see no point in being anything else. It is widely said that simplicity is the key to a happy life, and as I get older I am shedding all my complications. I mostly see things in black or white.

Enough, now I'm rambling for the sake of it. I hope that everyone can find a way round this dilemma, find a way to cope with uncertainty, and not dwell on the negative aspects, but look for the positives.
Thanks to Barbara for the question. Thanks to everyone for popping in.
Now one last thing to say. I am not trained in psychology or mental health. This is how I see things. There is a rook of help out there for people who are struggling with life.
Breakfast now. Toodle pip.  ilona