7 ways in 7 days to be happy - Day 4

Another way to improve your level of happiness is to take some time each day to stop and appreciate the things you normally take for granted. We often get so caught up with the hustle and bustle of life that we don't appreciate the fact that we can walk, that we can see, that that we have family members who love us, that the sky is a gorgeous color blue today, or that we have a roof over our head and a warm bed to sleep in at night. People tend not to realize this UNTIL it is taken away either by a serious injury or some severe psychosocial stressor (e.g., divorce, financial hardship). Why wait until something terrible happens to appreciate what you have? I can honestly say that every day I think about how fortunate I am to have a loving family around me, that I am healthy, and that I am getting by financially.

Now, of course, there are people who do have it pretty bad and there are reasons sometimes to de depressed about things at certain times in life. For example, there are soldiers who have lost limbs in Iraq, people who lose their jobs and enter bankruptcy, and people who have spouses who cheat on them. Of the many patients I have seen in these or similar situations I have repeatedly seen that the ones who move forwards with their lives are the ones who do not dwell of what they lost, appreciate what they still have, and are determined to move their life forwards. It all goes back to the general theme of trying to actively control your life. Go here for Day 5.