How to get over things quickly

Things turn out best for the people who make the best out of the way things turn out. John Wooden

There is no time limit to getting over things. When things fall apart, they fall apart to varying degrees and some people can block their emotions out, appear to take things in their stride and get on with things like it never happened. Others, like me, are more sensitive and need time and space to rebuild and move forward – this blog is for YOU!

It’s unfortunate, but we can’t control the events that happen to us. BUT! We can control our reactions and attitudes to the events that happen to us – and this means we have control over how things affect us. You are the author of your own life story and you always have a lot more control than what you think you do at times of despair.

With this in mind, you should gain the confidence to take your first steps to solving a bad situation and moving ahead. Focus on the things you can control – no matter how small, and start taking steps in that direction. Once you start resolving a few of the smaller issues, you’ll gain the confidence to start tackling the bigger ones.

When you’re trying to overcoming painful situations quickly, consider these tips:
* Focus on the things you can change. There are lots of things out of our control and instead of focusing on these, start focussing on the things you can change
* You can’t start the next chapter when you’re still immersed in the past one, so cut some ties and get set to start again! This means delete phone numbers, clear your email inbox, block some people off Facebook… relocate, change jobs, whatever it takes! Embrace change – because it’s the only way forward. Something needs to change in order for you to feel better. Rebuilding is an opportunity and new adventure
* Change your attitude – start expecting the best! It’s easy to get bogged down in the pain we’re feeling and the situation we’re stuck in – but it’s just as easy to change our perception. Remind yourself that happiness is a choice
* Surround yourself with positive and successful people, who share your interests and will move you ahead. Don’t be afraid to rely on the kindness of strangers or acquaintances – it’s a great way to meet new people and do new things
* Don’t push yourself too hard. There’s no time limit to getting over things so don’t get frustrated with yourself when you’re still hurting a week or a month later, it will only make you feel worse. Let yourself grieve and don’t make rash decisions
* Learn from the situation. Be mindful of what actually happened and stay realistic – do not take on all the blame. Brainstorm what you’d do differently next time and what you can do now to improve things – this is the key to rebuilding and taking positive steps forward.

Another good way to move ahead is think about other people. Thank your friends for their support by going out of your way to show your gratitude. Concentrate on being the best you that you can be! It’s refreshing to think if you make someone’s dreams come true – they will never forget you. There’s more to life than anything that drags you down – start making the changes and jet ahead – before you know it, the past will be behind you. Instead of being miserable about something in the past, find the next thing to get excited about and keep living!

How to survive a bad day at work and return home happy

If you want the rainbow – you gotta put up with the rain. Dolly Parton

It’s become a fact that happy employees make organisations successful – which is why so many companies are catering for people with flexible working hours and staff benefits.

According to research, and the Action For Happiness website, there are three fundamental human needs that must be satisfied for us to function well and be psychologically healthy:
– Autonomy – having choice over our behaviour and actions
– Mastery – feeling competent
– Relatedness – feeling connected to and cared about by others.

You don’t have to be earning hundreds of thousands of dollars to be happy, in fact, there are few who are happy doing this. Often our work detracts from happiness rather than adding to it – so how do you survive a bad day and return home happy?

Be kind to yourself
Everyone has bad moments at work. Take time out, make a cup of coffee, talk to someone, go to the bathroom, walk around the office… whatever it is, just take some time to yourself before going back to work. This will give you time to refocus. Always make sure you take your lunch break – there are no prizes for working overtime and burning out.

Think positive
Remind yourself of the positive aspects of your job and even how you felt when you first got your job. Consider the friends you have made in meeting your work colleagues. Block any negative people or thoughts from your mind, it may be hard, but it will help you get through the day. SHUN OFFICE POLITICS – no one needs that! Remember, tomorrow is a new day and look ahead.

Challenge yourself
Like anything that will lead you to happiness, you need to set your own goals and find your own challenges. If you’re always doing what is asked of you, maybe it’s time to step up and go above and beyond to get a boost.

Re-prioritise your workload
If something has happened to unsettle your day, you may need to adjust your priorities for the day – but always make sure the last half an hour of your day is spent doing something you enjoy within your role.

Focus on what you CAN do
If your boss is upset about something you haven’t done as well as you could have, focus on one of your strengths for the next hour, to boost your confidence back up. And remember, if you’re struggling, you can always ask for help.

Leave it at work
Just as you leave a bad day in your relationship at home and don’t talk about it at work, it is also important that when you return home for the day without anything good to say about your work, then don’t mention it at all. Find another way to alleviate the stress – it will make you feel much better about it.

Introducing Happiness Weekly

“You don’t make me happy…”

The minute he said it – I felt the life breathe out of our relationship.

Happiness is a choice. Each day, life throws obstacles at us and that could be caused by something as small as a bad day or misunderstanding, or as big as getting terminated from a job, a relationship breakdown, getting evicted from your house or even someone close to us dying.

The good news is, when you’re touching rock bottom: you can push off!

Positive, happy, confident, fun people attract like-minded people. These characteristics reflect outwards on other people, influencing their friends and companions to also be positive, happy and confident – ultimately attracting more people to want to be around them. I call this the sunshine effect.

Being happy is not hard, but it takes a lot of soul-searching, a lot of closet cleaning and a lot of self-motivation to get there and maintain a certain level of it. Are you committed to making the changes that are needed to be happy? Are you open to being inspired and receiving advice and tips?

The key to happiness is understanding and accepting that it is a life choice. While it is beneficial to make it a goal to achieve happiness as often as possible, it is also important that we accept that we cannot be happy 100% of the time.

I’m Sarah and this blog is designed to offer some tips and tricks on how to get yourself back on track and happy when obstacles are thrown your way. The aim of my blog is to give you the skills and inspiration to be that happy, positive, confident person that people love and want to be around as often as possible.

Welcome to ‘Happiness Weekly’.