In today’s egotistical society, it is common for many to regard depression, panic attacks, mental disorders and anxiety as problems of weak minded people, but that is far from the case, such conditions aren’t a weakness they are just the results of trying your best to cope up with certain situations for too long. Every human’s brain map isn’t the same which is why some people suffer chronic depression and some don’t. It is all because of the thought process where everything in our lives, from the things we do to the material things we own culminated from a single thought.
The art of staying happy or experiencing some mental contentment lies within us. Just as the famous poet John Milton said “The mind is its own place, it can make a heaven out of hell or a hell out of heaven”.
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The biggest problem with the thought process is that if we allow rotten thoughts to invade our minds then we do rotten things. Today Human beings are so obsessed with oral and physical health that mental health is often neglected. Of course, there is an infinite amount of resources like psychotherapy and psychiatric help along with medication that tries to remedy such problems but how many address the source of the problem.
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As a society, we take on too much stress without paying attention to our own mental condition. We end up being fodder for such people lapping up the moolah. Everyone knows how costly a psychiatric session is and how addictive is such medication too. It is much like putting a bowl under a leaky ceiling rather than fix the ceiling itself.
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There is another fact to the widespread cases of depression and mental disorders. Suffering in silence! Many don’t want to speak about it. Many ignore their stress for too long until it snaps. Many are ashamed of such conditions for fear of being labelled a loser, useless, weakling etc.
Moreover, when negative thoughts, stress, and frustration invade our minds, we don’t really do anything about it; we would rather spend huge sums of money correcting our teeth rather than correct our minds. These are the results of a society careless about mental health: hate, anger, anxiety, rage, sadness, jealousy, and the list goes on. That is the direct result of a society struggling to maintain a lifestyle rather than a mind. Where is the solution?
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Today, well-being, yoga, meditation and what not are being sold as expensive commodities. Just as your shrink is having a good time raking in cash, the alternative forms of selling peace are such studios, new age gurus, and speakers telling you that you are sick in the mind and you need their brand of peace. Can anyone really sell you peace of mind? It’s just a very clever charade of making you feel that they have indeed created some sort of magic to make you feel great but think again?? What was mentioned earlier in this article, that the result of everything is a thought?
What peace vendors actually do is to retune your own mental map to think positively. It’s a clever manipulation of the brain but you can do this yourself. And all it takes is three simple steps and here they are.
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According to people like YouTube wisdom superstar Prince EA, you don’t need to spend a lot of money to think positively. You need three things and that Smiling, Breathing and Mindfulness which is to focus on your present moment. And this is how he explains it.
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When you smile, it relaxes the entire nervous system. According to what is called the facial feedback hypothesis, it is your facial muscles that impact your emotional state. If you are sad or unhappy and you smile, the brain senses the flexing of various muscles and that hacks it into thinking that you have something to feel happy about. Even if it wasn’t built into our physiology, the stereotyped act of smiling is synonymous with the art of happiness.
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Even as you read this, just try and smile now, put a big smile on your face and tell me in the comments below that it didn’t make you feel even just a little bit happy or positive. Don’t grin robotically but smile as if you were smiling about something leasing. Then you will realize what this smiling is all about.
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Tune into yourself and ask yourself, is your mind controlling you? Do negative thoughts creep up on you and take hold of you, inciting incite you to build upon them? The more you objectify the thoughts that come in and out of your mind, the less you will be controlled and overwhelmed or trapped by them. Those who practice mindfulness are much happier than those who don’t. No one wants you to go jumping around the house or office laughing and grinning as if you didn’t have a care in the world. Mindfulness helps you to be in control and not allow negativity to get hold of you.
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By practicing deep breathing exercises by inhaling and exhaling deeply and slowly, you condition your body in a state akin to mediation. You become more mindful of yourself and are able to focus on you!
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Smile by thinking on some happy thought or something you were given a reason to smile about. Now breathe deeply by taking a long hard deep breath in by inhaling and exhaling out slowly. While doing so, focus on the present. Not your past or your future but your existence in the present moment of time. It’s called feeling alive!!
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You may have thoughts creeping up on you but don’t fight them, just let them flow through you and again refocus on yourself. Do this every day by combining it with a healthy diet and exercise and it is guaranteed, you will improve your mindset and wellbeing by being more control of yourself rather than your thoughts controlling you. This is the art of happiness.
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