Mood Boosters

Recently read an article in the November 1, 2010 volume of Woman's Day magazine. The article author, Deb Wolf, mentioned that she's often grateful, but once in a while she gets stuck in negative thinking. When that happens, she uses the following five mood boosters to get her thinking in a more positive direction. Loved this idea because we're not always in a positive state of mind. We need an attitude adjustment! Ms. Wolf recommends the following:

• Pause - Quieting myself and focusing on some small task, like listening to a song I love -- in effect, pushing the Pause button - helps me let go of negative feelings. By the time I'm done, my mind has moved on to more pleasant thoughts.
• Appreciate - I take a moment to run through my list of blessings: my husband, my children, my good friends and my grandkids. It puts everything into perspective
• Write - When I'm upset of angry I occasionally write about it to clarify my thinking. I just make sure to shred anything I want to keep personal.
• Play - It's impossible for me to stay in a bad mood when I'm playing with my dog, Chloe. She always makes me laugh.
• Pray - At times, I need to call on a more powerful source. That's when I rely on my faith and prayer. Trusting that God is greater than any problem I'm facing is reason enough to be to be positive. 

Woman's Day magazine

November 1, 2010 issue, p. 37