Where’s your happy place?

Mine’s the beach ?

Seeing clear blue skies and blue-green water.
Hearing the calming sound of the surf rolling in.
Feeling the breeze on my face. The warmth of the sun on my body.
The sand squishing between my toes.

My cares seem a million miles away when I’m at the beach.

It’s the place I go to whenever someone, for example in a guided meditation, tells me to visualize my “happy place”.

But the truth is, I can be happy
ANYWHERE
ANYTIME
I don’t have to be at the beach.

Which is fortunate.
Because I live in the Midwest.
No beaches to be found.

What’s my secret to happiness?

I know exactly what CREATES happiness (or any feeling, for that matter).

It’s my THOUGHTS.
Not my circumstances.
Not the rainy or snowy or cold weather.
Or the heavy traffic.

Not the disagreement I just had with my husband.
Or my mother.
Or my co-worker.

Or the impossible deadline my boss gave me for an urgent project.
Or the administrators’ new mandates that create more work for the rest of us.

It’s my thoughts about those circumstances
That determines how I feel.
Happy
Sad
Angry
Frustrated
All caused by my thoughts.

And much of the time, I choose to feel happy.
By reframing my thoughts about a particular situation.

But I’m HUMAN
Not a robot
I don’t want to feel happy ALL the time
Like when my child is sick or hurting
Or when a friend loses their job

However,
On most days, we cause MUCH of our own suffering
By the thoughts we choose.

What if it didn’t have to be that way?

Hint: it DOESN’T have to be that way!

I can teach you how to find your own happiness.
Wherever and whenever you choose to create it.
No beach required.

And when you choose to feel angry or sad or hurt or frustrated.
That’s perfectly fine, too.
Because feelings are a normal human experience
And your feelings can’t hurt you.

And then when you’re done
Feeling angry, sad, hurt or frustrated
You can shift your mood and find your happy again.

Are you ready to learn how to be happy despite your current circumstances?

I can help you with that!

Here’s to finding your happy,

Denee Choice, MD