Is life leaving you feeling a little de-motivated, surreal and listless at the moment? Are you feeling hopeful about the future or are you struggling to think about how life may ever feel normal again?
I must admit I’ve never been much of a morning person and a lot of mornings lately I find myself relating well to the pooch in this image. There are more days than I care to number that I find myself feeling listless and taking longer than ever to get going.
However, I believe very strongly that ‘happiness’ is a choice that we can make each morning.
Sometimes we have to dig a little deeper to focus on that choice; sometimes it can be really difficult to find those positives that help us to choose happiness but on those days I remember a story that I heard some time ago about an elderly gentleman in a care home who had no relatives, no visitors and very few possessions and yet he always had a cheery word for the care staff and a smile for anyone regardless of how much pain he was in, how difficult he found it to get around and do things for himself. When one of the care staff asked him about how he stayed so positive and kind no matter what was going on, he replied that ‘happiness is a choice I make every morning when I wake up. I can’t control my body or the world around me, but I can control my response to those things. I choose happiness.’
So each day that I struggle with frustrations, concerns etc. I think of that man’s story and I choose happiness. It’s not always easy and my faith definitely helps me with this but as with anything else, with practice it becomes a habit. I can’t think of a better habit to develop.
If you are feeling a little stressed or overwhelmed by any of life’s current challenges remember that MitE chaplains are here to listen. You are very welcome to call me directly on my mobile: 07526 378529 either to chat or to arrange a time to meet, or if you prefer you can contact us via email on info@mitechaplaincy.com where you can also request a call-back.
Debbie
We also have a range of resources on our web-site including some that are more specific to the Covid-19 outbreak and some that help in dealing with stress: https://mite.org.uk
If you prefer you can easily keep in touch with us on social media:
Facebook: @mitechaplaincy Twitter: @mitesthwarr
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
