How to Make a Better You – Don’t Let Circumstances Steal Your Joy

by Nina Sabin - Healthy Tip

You always hear the phrase “Happiness is a Choice” – for the most part, that is true.. Just like being miserable, frustrated, angry, and sad - all are choices.

You can avoid things stealing your joy, and having happiness as a choice if you don’t react immediately.

Human beings are very complicated creatures. We have a physical side, an emotional side, a mental, and a spiritual side. Each one of these affects our mood, attitude, and how we handle situations.

So how do we not let a situations, circumstances, or relationships steal our joy?

As I mentioned in my last healthy tip, Backed in Corner, most people react immediately by the fight or flight method. The important word here is immediately. We need to learn not to react immediately to anything. There will always be something that is going to happen or affect us that could steal our joy.

Here are some steps to take to avoid handling situations immediately and not letting them steal our joy.

First, when you are in the heat of the event don’t react. Remove yourself from the situation.

Second, think and pray on what is going on. How can you make your decision to not let it steal your joy by how you react? This may include writing down your thoughts, feelings and plan of action.

Third, don’t deal with the situation until you are ready. It might take a while to feel like you are able to handle the situation. Most things are not life or death circumstances, but many times in our minds that is how we perceive it.

Fourth, be empathetic. Think about the other person, what caused the situation, and how they might be feeling about it.

Finally, when you do deal with the situation, try to handle it in a tender loving way. When we react immediately that is usually impossible.