For a while now I have been noticing these moments of utter happiness that I'm feeling. And they've been sticking around for days at a time. I haven't always been the most consistently happy person, so this is a big deal for me. Moody used to be my middle name all the time. Don't get me wrong...I'm not Oscar the Grouch all the time but I've been known to have a moment here and there. Most of my friends think I'm pretty darn perky most of the time....always ready with a smile or a friendly comment. But my true colors always seem to shine the brightest when I'm around my family. I guess it's because I feel the safest when I'm with them and I feel I can get away with whatever behaviors I'm in the mood for.
I've become more conscious of my "moods" after noticing my son and my husband exhibiting negative behaviors, especially if I was in a good mood and they began to bring me down. (I've always hated that feeling of losing my positive momentum because of someone else's negative energy.) If my boy is in a bad mood I try my hardest to make him talk about it, telling him that getting things out of my head usually is enough to enable me to move on and get into a better frame of mind. This works most of the time...he talks about what's going on in his world, we find something to laugh about, and his beautiful little smile reemerges right along with his bubbly little personality. Other times it doesn't solve the issue and he just has to work whatever it is out on his own. The same goes for Hubby, who can have a "funky" moment for at least a few minutes almost each day of any given week. (Part of this is due to his current last-semester-of-college saga, which is causing him a great deal of stress....but will be over in just a couple of months. Yeah!)
I don't know if its a combination of maturing and mellowing with age, or just maturing, but I've been getting so good at getting out of bad moods more quickly (or not entering into one at all), and not letting other people bring me down. I love this sense of accomplishment! Perhaps it's because holidays are approaching...it's almost Halloween and I'm finding out how much fun I can really have as an adult with this holiday, and my all-time favorite holiday Christmas is just around the corner. Perhaps it's because I've reached a new phase of parenting that seems less demanding and stressful, or because Hubby is almost finished with his undergrad degree, which means having dual incomes is just around the corner, or because I'm not overbooked with my junior woman's club responsibilities this year so I have more ME time, or because I'm working out on a regular basis and feel better about myself, or heck...maybe it's because I'm blogging! I guess I could list numerous things that are all contributing to my positive emotional health. Who knows. I'm really not digging the over-analysis of the issue, but I do know this....focusing on my own happiness (and how it effects others) is really a wonderful thing. Just being aware of my happiness level seems to magnify just how happy I feel at that moment of reflection.
On a scale from one to ten how happy do you feel? Are you pretty consistent with staying happy? When you're not happy what do you do to bring yourself out of the funk?
I'd say I've been consistently an eight on the happiness scale for quite some time. I've been taking more pictures without any real occasion other than just capturing a moment, praying more and at a more intense level, worrying less, planning for my future projects more....and I seem to be procrastinating less. (Hubby would disagree with the procrastination one as he has to look at the state of my side of the closet each day...I know it's driving you insane, my dear, and I truly appreciate your not saying a word about it.) I'm promising myself that I'm not going to lose site of this once Hubby has military duty away from home. It's my goal to allow for moments of sadness, but to move out of them quickly so I can move forward with taking care of me and the little guy. Not to mention our two pups!
You know, it's kind of scary to think about all the other people that count on us for love, affection, care, support or just a friendly smile. But, it can also be a rewarding thought to imagine what a difference we are making in other people's worlds when we are positive. When I look at it from that perspective, the perspective of who I might be lifting up when I control my emotions, it sure is a lot easier to turn the focus off of me when I need to and focus on who really needs my attention, like my son, my husband, or even the stranger I pass in a store. I know we're all supposed to "look out for number one" but it feels so much better to look beyond that.
