Has Something in Your Life Been Dragging You Down?

Has Something in Your Life Been Dragging You Down?

Happiness is great. In fact it’s much greater and more beneficial than most people realise.

At the same time, however, no one will or should expect to be happy all the time.

We all face challenges and we all have problems and there are always things in all our lives that will drag us down.

But the good news is there are also things we can do about this. And this Psychology Today article by Diane Dreher explains what and how …

KEY POINTS

  • Neglecting our physical and emotional well-being and having unfinished business and chronic complainers in our lives can drain our energy.
  • We can identify and eliminate energy to restore our vitality.
  • Cultivating happiness habits can also boost our energy and help us flourish.
 Pierre Olivier Joseph Coomans, Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons

Source: Pierre Olivier Joseph Coomans, Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons

If you’ve been feeling tired and run down, something in your life may be draining your energy. Energy drains are situations and relationships that pull you away from your own needs and objectives. They can undermine your ability to flourish (Seligman, 2011), to experience what positive psychologists call PERMA: positive emotions, engagement, positive relationships, meaning, and accomplishment.

Do any of these common energy drains sound familiar?

1. Emotional Drains. Worry about the future, dwelling on negative events in the past, and the nagging voice of your inner critic that tells you you’re “not good enough”—the opposite of the positive emotions that help us flourish (Fredrickson, 2003). These emotional drains can become habits, running constantly through our minds.

To break the habit, stop, take a deep, mindful breath, and ask yourself:

  • How do I feel?
  • What do I need?
  • What can I do?

Turn that energy drain into positive action. If you’ve been worrying, think of one way to deal with the potential problem and take action. If you’ve been dwelling on a negative past experience, think of what you’ve learned and what you’ll do differently next time. If you’re being nagged by the inner critic, shift your energies with this HeartMath technique:

  • Breathe slowly and deeply.
  • Focus on your heart.
  • Recall a positive experience, a loving person, or pet.
  • Breathe in feelings of appreciation for this positive memory.
  • Feel yourself filled with more positive feelings that can help you discover new possibilities (Childre, Martin, Rozman, & McCraty, 2016)…

… keep reading the full & original article HERE