A Simple 6-Part Prescription for Greater Happiness

One of the drawbacks of the internet is the way it exponentially increases the opportunity to compare yourself with others.

Instead of having a relatively small circle of friends, acquaintances, and co-workers, you may literally be exposed to hundreds of new people in any given week.

Have you ever noticed how it can seem like everyone in the blogosphere is so brilliant, leading an epic life, in touch with their true self, bold beyond belief, a fountain of unconditional love, and making loads of money to boot!

Whenever you suddenly feel like you are shrinking in the midst of all these bright lights, it’s time to put on the brakes.

A Simple Prescription for Happiness

Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, M. D. offers this prescription, especially for people who need to ease up on themselves.

No blame.
No fault.
No guilt.
No judgment.
No comparing yourself with other people.
No expectations.

The idea is to methodically apply the prescription to thoughts about ourselves and others.

How?

When you notice one of these thoughts arising, you simply drop it. And repeat. Again and again.

You see the mind is just caught in a bad brain loop. It’s possible to overcome these deceptive brain messages that feed low self-esteem and make us unhappy, but it takes mindfulness – being aware of the thoughts that are arising in your mind – and repetition.

Sure, it can be hard. In the beginning, it may seem impossible. At first, you may just catch and release a few self-defeating thoughts each day. The secret is to celebrate each small success and keep moving forward. Some days it will be tougher than others, but then you’ll have days of exceptional success too.

If you keep with it, these patterns of negative self-talk will gradually diminish.

Just like each drop of water adds up to a great ocean, transforming one thought at a time is the way to create more space for happiness and contentment to fill-up your life.

Reference: From Fatigued to Fantastic, Jacob Teitelbaum, M. D.