Happiness Is A Hard Skill To Master

Juggling, riding a unicycle, bathing a cat, playing the game GO, and raising one eybrow are all hard skills to master. I can raise either eyebrow and juggle at the same time. Happiness is a hard to master, but here are components that we can practice to hone our skills.

According to former American Psychological Association president, Martin Seligman, there are three components of happiness: positive emotion, engagement and meaning. Positive emotion involves our longing to feel good about the past, present and future for the longest time possible. Positive memories have been linked to feelings of happiness and can defend against depression. In order to promote our own positive emotions, we need to look at our past with satisfaction and appreciation. We need to look forward to the future's potential with hope and confidence.

Engagement, the second component of happiness, indicates deep involvement in our work, leading to involvement of your total attention and enjoyment in the activity. We need to enjoy the things that we do. Lack of engagement has been corresponded with, and causally linked to depression.

Martin Seligman states, that we pursue meaning, by using our best strengths “to belong to and serve something that one believes is bigger than the self." We gain satisfaction through using our abilities for a greater purpose. We need to believe that our actions count for a greater good.

These three things can be hard to juggle in our lives. Practicing these "components of happiness" may also help to live a life filled with love:

• Keep a list of the good things that have or are happening in your life. Start with the past and add to the list as you go.
  
• Make a list of your strengths and ways that you can use them daily. Visit authentichappiness.org for a list of character strengths.
• List some things for which you would like to be remembered. 
• Take time to complete and enjoy a daily task. Feel good about getting something completed. Start with a small task and then go bigger.
• Say "Thank You" often.
• Smile (a lot).
  

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Here Comes The High

High pressure that is!  I could feel the pressure starting to change last night. I eventually had to take some pain medication before I went to bed.

Sure enough, I checked the weather radar this morning and a high pressure area is heading my way. Temperatures are predicted to rise over the next couple of days. This means rain and/or sleet in lieu of snow. But, it also means an increased chance of head pain. I stopped using DHE in November, so all I have (in addition to my daily mexiletine) is loratab and compazine to use at the breach of the pain and normalcy.

Now there is a misnomer. What is normal any more? I can't say that any part of my life and especially health has anything to do with normalcy. But, I guess it really is only business as usual, and my usual is three to four headache days in a week. I should be happy with the last six days in which I had a brief respite. Here's to 'normalcy'.

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Low Pressure Means Low Chance Of Migraine

With the snow storm comes the low pressure, or vice versa.  Although there's more moisture in the air, the 100% precipitation in the form of snow does not mean the chance for migraine. Chances are good that I will have a few good days while the 'low' hangs over our heads.


The temperature and pressure are steady as the snow falls and the front pushes through. Typically, there is more chance to get a migraine when the pressure is on it's way up. Changes in temperature can also increase the chances of a migraine.

Weather.com has an aches & pains index which can be reached by clicking here, that is usually accurate, at least for my migraines. They take into account the changes in barometric pressure, temperature, humidity, precipitation, and wind. Though scientists still disagree on whether the weather impacts pain, I still believe that my head feels worse when the barometric pressure increases. So, while the sky is gray and the wind is cold, I feel absolutely radiant.

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Know Your Medications

As a chronic illness sufferer, I have several different doctors. One for this, one for that, one for something else, etc. Each one of my doctors asks me on a regular basis, what medications I am taking and for what I am taking them. I have learned that each time I am prescribed a new dosage or new medication, I ask what for?

There is no one person who is keeping up with my medications as closely as I am. I know this, because each doctor asks about my prescriptions. They don't 'always' get the information from each other.  Actually, my healthcare system is just getting practitioner offices linked into the network, so that they can look at test results on the computer. But, I still ask my doctors about any reactions to or between medications

We are the one who has supervision responsibilities for our medications. We are the only people concentrating on our medicines and the only ones who know the reactions on a daily basis.  We must keep an up-to-date drug list with all the medications that we are taking and be able to tell doctors about any of the side effects that we may be experiencing.

When filling out forms for doctors, don’t just list the medications that have been tried;

•  Also list the dosage and duration of each as well as the side effects experienced while taking them.
•  Offer an updated medication list to your doctors on a routine basis. And don't forget to ask what a medication is used for, and any possible side effects.

•  Go online to research each medication's purpose and possible side effects. Keep track of any side effects and report them to your doctors immediately.

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Out Of Kilter

Managing your medications is an important a task, as you have in your life. If your meds are not managed properly, it can mean your life.

Last week was a rough one for me, to say the least. It seems that I did not load my medication dispensers correctly.  I missed a certain medication for a day or maybe two, and the result was NOT a party.

It is so important to use medications as prescribed, being careful to not under medicate or over medicate. The effects of under medicating can be as serious as over medicating, and may result in changes in blood pressure as well as changes in mood and appetite.

Changing medications or prescriptions can be tough enough. But, accidentally missing doses of my meds really threw me out of kilter. I was definitely out of balance, disoriented, and agitated. I definitely intend to monitor my medication dispensation a lot closer.

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Down Side Up

Is that snow I smell? Could be a reason to smile even though the Pansies seem to frown. If it's just cloudy, then my mind thinks "dreary". If I think, "I saw a snowflake!", the sky brightens automatically. I guess it's all a matter of attitude and semantics.

Breezy is better than windy. Brisk is better than cold. And, it looks like snow is better than cloudy. Our feelings are declared by our vision. If we see something in a positive light, we feel better about it. Flip it over and look for a positive on the bottom. An up side usually exists, if we have and can take the time to look for it. So, to brighten my day, I turn the down side up, and look for the fresh lining.

It's snowing somewhere, and today's weather is quite snappy. I feel better already.

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