The more I learn to celebrate, and celebrate being alive in particular, the less frequently I feel down. But once I find myself being down, then I have a set of methods that help me to get myself up again. In minutes. Those I’m going to share with you in this article.

Only I don’t want to create an impression of myself as a superman. I often fail, too. I often forget these things myself, and then I feel down again. But as I practice, it happens less and less frequently. With help of visualization, I can successfully build Joy in myself. That Joy helps me to be strong and act properly even in difficult situations. And it maintains in me good health, too.

Awareness Of Being Alive

When I am down, when I feel pressured, tired, abused, mistreated, exploited, then I just seize the tremendous reality of me being alive. Believe me or not, I am alive!

It is often taken for granted. In the middle of stress and chores, we often forget that we hold something so very fragile and precious as our own life. I think we should never take for granted that we are alive. This awareness alone keeps me out of depressed state and gives me a lot of Joy.

Thinking Patterns About Myself

When I feel down, I often take to thinking patterns like these:

I grew like this from an invisible cell. I grew proportionally, my bones, my skin, my muscles. My body grew from an invisible cell following very precisely the pattern of my ancestors. When I think of that, it takes my breath.

My eyes, they adjust to the environment, distance, size of the object with impeccable precision, better by far than any man made lens. My hands, they can do a lot of works. My fingers obey me. It is really surprising how they learn different things and then perform.

My legs take me to where I order them. They take me to places where no man made vehicle can ever go. I can adjust their speed, I can jump, I can kick, I can squat.

I can think. I know, that’s too incredible, but I have a thinking ability, much more advanced than any man made machine will ever be. I can think logically, I can sum and distract, I can multiply and divide. I can plan, I can store things in my memory.

And … oh, that is absolutely impossible to believe … I can visualize! Before I take to any work, I can already see in my mind what the result will be. If I visualize an ocean, I can hear the wind blow and waves wash the shore. When I visualize a rose garden, I can see the colors and I can even feel the smell.

I am so wonderfully made. How can I be unhappy when I am so wonderfully made? Even if there is pain, the pain gets less when I think of the very fact of being alive!

I am alive, what can compare to that? What can beat that? What problems can outweigh the fact of being alive? Harsh remark of the boss? Bank card left behind? I’m getting silly, am I not?

But at a large scale, when everything comes around, even, even, even death of somebody you love cannot outweigh the fact that you are alive. Being alive is an astounding thing, but death is just natural. Even a break up with a friend or lover can’t reach even close.

I can’t understand how I can be alive. I don’t know how long I will be. I can’t be sure about the next day. Even about the next minute, I can’t be sure. But at the present moment, I am alive. Isn’t that worth celebrating?

Awareness of being alive is a powerful source of Joy.

Being Connected

There are a lot of sources of Joy all around. And they are real. For frustrations, there are, surely, even more reasons. Only most of them, if not all, are illusory.

It is not about thinking positively. Positive thinking has never worked for me. I am too skeptical to see a bright side in unfortunate things. That is simply not for me.

But to get a portion of the highest quality Joy, it will always be enough to simply connect to the reality, to the present moment. To connect means to pay attention, to observe intentionally, to register in your mind what you see, hear, feel, smell.

Focusing e.g. on a flower lets you feel more detached from your moment’s stress.

Sometimes, especially when I have a bad day, I find a calm moment and find something beautiful to look at. I stood once in a dandelion field. The juicy yellowness was pleasant to look at. I stood there and “invited” the yellowness in through my eyes. This worked sobering on me. I felt even like had some rest.

You have plenty of things worth your attention all around you – flowers, plants, trees, bark, wood patterns, stone patterns, colors, shapes. You only need to focus on them and notice them. Even a piece of cheap graffiti can be used to trigger your fantasy.

I personally started feeling much better when I learned to pay attention. It does not cost you money to try, and does not even require any special time. Just start noticing things on your way to the office and back. I am sure it will help you too feel better.

Visualization

I visualize. I have had this ability since my birth. But for many years, it was just neglected. I never thought of the power of visualization. But it is great.

Now I never get bored. Even when I have to wait for some longer time. I visualize.

There is plenty of what you can visualize. Don’t limit yourself to just drawing mental pictures, which is good too. But you can visualize sounds, even smells.

I visualize a lot the past moments when I felt happy. I visualize things that I want to happen.

I met a lady the other day who said that it was difficult to visualize something good because the bad thoughts were taking over. Yes, I agree, that needs some training, some determination. Like all things that are worth doing.

But it should not be more difficult to think uplifting thoughts, in compare with how difficult it is to think depressive thoughts. It usually takes a very small amount of energy both ways. But the uplifting thoughts will give energy to you while the gloomy ones will be taking it.

In a hot day, I can visualize holding something cold in my hands – and it gets cooler indeed. I can visualize cold water all over my body, and it gets easier for me to stand the weather.

If I can’t get a yellow dandelion field right here and now to relieve my stress, then I – visualize it. It is even easier to visualize things that I have previously focused on and allowed them in through my eyes. And I can even feel the smell of the yellow dandelion field.

Especially Efficient Visualization

When I visualize great things, beautiful, enjoyable things, I feel good. Visualization is very helpful when I want to work myself into cheerful mood, when I want to get a new restart, if I need new energy.

Visualization that triggers emotion is for me especially efficient. What exactly triggers emotions can be very individual. For me, it works when I imagine something brave that I intend to do or say. I can imagine myself competing, speaking in public, swimming in big waves. I can read an exciting book and visualize. Well, we mostly do subconsciously when we read. But try to visualize intentionally! And let that be a good book, an uplifting book.