Slightly moody

My life can get a bit overwhelming at times. Between the endless stresses at work and in school, trying to find time to eat and exercise as I should and worries about my health and my future, there are times when I definitely could use some tips to remain cool and calm. I tend to get a bit wound up over little things, so I feel its important to employ some new strategies so that I can continue to look at the world in a positive light.

As usual, I turned to Martha to solve this problem and to teach me how to chill; after all, who knows better than Martha about balancing work, life and love and keeping a positive attitude?

Martha has a great article on her website about how to "Lift Your Mood," which I find is extremely helpful for me to help limit my internal negativity. John Selby, one of Martha's many experts and a cognitive psychologist says that, "When you focus on negative thoughts or memories, you begin to interpret events around you through that lens, which generates more negative thoughts," a really useful piece of advice in my opinion.

Selby details a strategy for dealing with negative events that might occur. He outlines a four step plan for handling such stressful moments:

1. Wake up: Essentially, first, I need to draw attention to my breathing, becoming aware of the simple act of breathing in and out.
2. Go Deeper: Once my so-called "downward-cycle" into negativity is stopped, I am supposed to draw my attention to breathing my chest and other body parts, drawing my focus away from any negative emotion.
3. Open Your Heart: Next, it's time to embrace positivity, in Martha's words, to think of some good things.
4. Expand Your Joy: Finally, I can gain my sense of "well-being and empowerment," to expand my positive thoughts to take command over my own happiness.

I know this whole things sounds hokey, but it really is nice to force myself to focus on meditation as away of dealing with negative events in my life. I feel like tricks like this will help me become more balanced and well-rounded and to approach life with a more open-minded, positive outlook. After all, it can't hurt, right?