Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Healthy Living: Happiness is A Choice



     You bet, I am at the moment suffering, no suffering is too heavy a term, I am experiencing my monthly unexplainable, unwanted, unnecessary, irritating bout of loneliness. I know I am not alone in this mood. Yeah sure I am one of those people who could easily whip up a nice thing to say to chase one's blues away; I could be relied upon to listen to a friend's woes and even to a stranger's pains but like a normal homo sapien I too have my own periods of loneliness. So instead of just lying in bed and nurturing thoughts of sadness here I am chasing the blues writing, inspired by my twinzy Cher of Sweetmemoirs and wonderwoman friend Betchai of The Joys of Simple Life. Doing what one loves is a sure treatment to drown sorrow.



Jessa Ellen T. Manangan-Pabo
So here goes my anti-sadness tips (no 6. being on top of each item)


  1. Count Your Blessings
           ....when things don't go the way we want them to it is easy to dismiss how blessed we are to be simply alive! Just think of people who have been sentenced to a life in prison or those who have just found out they have only a few more months to live or those who have just lost a loved one...every minute in our life is precious- a time to say I LOVE YOU or FORGIVE ME or to give the ones we love that HUG that erases all our fears and doubts, so why waste a minute frowning or crying over something which isn't life threatening? Let's try to count our blessings:
photo taken by
Choi Beatuzeinbed (Lisa Marie Miller Difuntorum)
  • we can see! not a few people were born  unable to see the beauty of the world and here we are seeing colors all around us! we can see the sky, the clouds, the fog, flowers all around us and the smile of family and friends how great is that?!

photo by Fema Catbagan Kusumi
  •  we have friends and family! they cheer us up the very instant we tell them we are not feeling well, they would say the most comforting words and even do the most ridiculous things just to make us smile, try posting on any social networking site that "you are sad," or simply post a lonely emoticon and in less than a second someone will ask you why and drop an inspiring line! 
Juvy, Dhos and Tres Julaton

  • you can hear, you can touch, you can smell, you can eat, you can feel.... 
  •  when you have a pure heart the blessings you believe you have are countless, now if you still think you are unlucky...think again! 

2.  Think of the past...
Babyjane Marcelo and Jonalyn Palaroan
...by this I mean imagine that time when what you have now, your work, your kids, your partner, your life was just a dream!  Each time friends and I grumble about the toxicity of our jobs and how tired we are working we remind each other of those days we spent just praying and wishing we could finally be done with school, have a license to practice and be payed for what we do! ...think of that time when you did not even have access to the internet, not even a cellphone or that time you were falling in line just to process your passport that took you to the country where you are now working to keep your family happy, remember that your life which you sometimes think sucks is just a dream for others! In fact education could be so expensive that some people work all day and night just so they could graduate...if you got a degree or a degree just waiting to be attached to your name wow, that is a jackpot! 
3.  Live for Others
Edessa Desiree Laranang Lazaro

It's true what they say, happiness isn't real unless we share it. The angels we often pray for are the people around us and a great thing about angels is that you could always be one! It is easy to turn our back on someone yearning for someone to talk to because it is inconvenient for us to stop what we are doing and just take time to listen. But come to think of it, when we listen to other's problems we find solutions to our most daunting tasks and realize that we were wasting our time worrying about something so trivial we failed to notice others exists. That thing about wanting to have wings and flying is easy to happen, when we lend a helping hand and share what we have, we gain tickets to heaven!

Dr. Mary Jane Manzano Ching
4. Turn to Nature
...now that is my ultimate breather when things aren't working well for me..I look at the clouds! I stare at petals and leaves, I look for the moon in the sky; I take time to just listen to the wind, the moving water and rain when it pours! There is nothing like God's creation to cheer the spirit!

Slimer Chan Slimer
5. Smile and Laugh A Lot
Flordelyn Hufalar
Oh yes, I do that a lot! I talk to myself and laugh at my insanities. I imagine the most ludicrous scenario that could happen to me like losing consciousness while talking to the crowd or going into a seizure episode while eating in public. Not funny I know but it makes me realize that I am fine. That practically nothing is wrong with me, what is there to fear? I criticize myself for all my shortcomings and then slowly reassure myself that I can change! That I can be more forgiving, more loving, more open-minded and change for the better. Oh and yep, I love talking to myself, in fact these days the only person who calls me by my first name is myself and oh boy, I just love the sound of that. Be good to yourself, do not crucify yourself for your faults in the past. Nobody is perfect yet we could all be better.

6. Whatever You Do... Pray
 ..and pray real hard! Someone always listens to our heart's desires and intentions. We may not always get His answer but we can always keep the faith. I realized a long time ago that selfishness, greed and pride ruin relationships may it be with friends or family and workmates. Humility, love and understanding bridges all gap and when someone seems to be unforgivable and makes our lives miserable, leave everything to someone Above. He will make a way.

Edessa Desiree Laranang Lazaro
7. Take Time for the Things You Love Doing
Choi Beatuzeinbed (Lisa Marie Miller Difuntorum)

One sure way to keep you smiling is pampering yourself! Why can't you? Perhaps there is no time? But how can there be no time? When you find that you are not being productive because you feel so tired, stop altogether, breathe in and breathe out and take out your happiness kit! That thing you use to keep your heart pumping like crazy with happiness...like your camera if you are a photo-enthusiasts like me or perhaps that book you are reading or your tennis ball! You could take out your memory box- old photographs or simply imagine the good times you had....You will discover after indulging that you have become energized and ready to face the real world with full energy! 
8. Be with a Loved One
Kath and Allan Ace Villa 
You could dial a friend; ask your special someone to come over; stare at your inspiration's photo if he/she doesn't know you have a relationship hehehe, or you could just treat yourself for that spa or salon pampering you have always been postponing....and when you do love someone...never let a day pass by without him or her knowing and feeling it because that is what LOVE is, constant and unconditional....

9. Eat Healthy and take a walk
Ceres Quinto

     Sure you could allow yourself some sweet treat to boost your morale but always in moderation. Besides when you break your well balanced eating habit you might go into depression eventually. So keep your discipline strong. Instead of snacking on chips, cake and ice cream and fried goodies, you can have natural fruit juice and green veggies to munch on!...and do take a walk along that beautiful winding road where the flowers are bountiful! You get to breathe fresh air and exercise your legs and respiratory as well as circulatory system. It is difficult I know but in time, you will develop a routine that leads you to a long, ache-free existence. A hundred years of healthy well being is not hard to achieve!

yours truly
10. and last but not the least- Be Patient and Never Stop Believing in Your Dreams
Thea Doctolero
If what you are longing for seems to be so out of reach, just keep waiting. In God's time everything happens. The love you have been praying for may just be around the corner, so stop searching and just wait....if it doesn't come, it isn't a reason for you not to smile...it's not like the world is ending anyway, there are so many things you could do alone or...perhaps you were called, to serve not just an individual but a community...whatever you wish for that you still have not achieved, just keep working hard and who knows, the happiness you have been longing for is in the waiting.... 
 HAPPINESS IS  A CHOICE

Dr. Yolanda Cruz

may it be  a rainy day, a sunny or snowy day
A good heart keeps the soul happy and the body looking young!




 special thanks to friends for sharing their precious photographs in this post...
may you continually be blessed...







17 yorum:

  1. Indeed Zen, happiness is a choice, we dhare so many ways in beating the blues away. I thank God always for the friendship such as what we share for it sure has a way of bringing in a rainbow of colors of happiness. Love your tips. Hope we all renember to use them when unexplainable sadness comes.

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  2. So glad you've found ways to chase away the blue, and share with us..

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  3. This is so true - happiness isn't real unless we share it. Thanks for this very inspiring words.

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  4. "unexplainable, unwanted, unnecessary, irritating bout of loneliness"

    twinzy indeed, either that or crazy food cravings and painful you-know-what hahaha! ang pampaluboag loob ko lang yung sisipagin ako na kulang na lang i-alcohol ko lahat ng corner sa bahay at sa clinic. hahaha!

    thanks for sharing the very useful tips. labyew!

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  5. Noted. Tama ka Darating tlga sa buhay natin yung time na malulungkot tayo. But again. We have a choice :)

    Salamat sa nakakagoodvibes na post na ito.

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  6. My top three consists of praying, living for others, and taking time to do what you really want. These are proven first-aid solutions for loneliness

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  7. Whenever I get that feeling of loneliness here (Believe me I still get homesick once in a wile), I think of the happy times I had growing up, that always calms me down and lighten up my spirit.

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  8. I guess it's normal for us to feel down sometimes. But with the list you have above, I'm sure you'll get back on your toes in no time. Happiness is indeed a choice, choose to be happy! (--,)

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  9. i'm baaaaaaaaak fr FBF, hehehe! dropping by to say i am mostly happy because of you and the many beautiful people that surrounds me. labyew!!!

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  10. back here too, and glad to be back, to see you holding two pineapples, showing your funniest, wackiest, simplest you side, labyew too Zen :)

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  11. With all these lovely tips, I think sadness has no place in someone's heart.

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  12. I stay happy simply by walking a mile in my shoes. I do always count my blessings each time and when I think of the less fortunate ones, I mutter to myself, "Thank God for all the blessings. I am alive and breathing". That's more than enough to keep me going.

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  13. UYes there is a season for everything. A season of joy and a season to weep. You have here a list of uplifting suggestions. Yes Happiness is a choice, if only an individual inclined to end his life could read this post. Perhaps, one more life maybe spared.

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  14. As normal human beings I think all of us has our own share of sad moments but thank you for the positive vibes and the good friends online and offline who always make things lighter everytime.

    Thank you very much for this wonderful share sis. I will definitely come back for this post and draw inspiration when I'm feeling blue. Hugs and kisses!

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  15. thanks for sharing your anti-sadness tips. indeed, there are many reasons for us to be happy...its up to us to do it, its our choice. just remember my name, hehehe, cheerful...hope it bought smile to your face when you learn that it is my name, hehehe! :) cheer-up now...hugs! xx

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  16. This is just very timely to read as I was just feeling the blahs lately. Being far away from my family, loneliness and boredom hit me hard sometimes. But I coundn't agree more of all the tips you have pointed out. I must remind myself about counting blessings, live for others, and most of all PRAY. I do believe this post is the answer to my prayer yesterday! Thanks for sharing this, this would surely help those who are feeling down.

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  17. Oh! I so love this post. Very inspiring and so good vibes! Thanks Ate!

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Thank you so much for visiting. God bless you and your family always.