happiness Archives - Denver Counseling Options

It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life and forget what really makes you happy in life. Here are 10 simple ways to embrace your life every day and be the best you.

1. Be honest. No one will know you if you pretend to be someone else, so be you and let them love you from the get go.

2. Sincerity goes a long way. The more sincere you are the more likely people are to trust you and believe in you. Sincerity not only increases peoples beliefs in you, but it is an aspiring attribute that most of us want to achieve.

3. Love without fear. Learn your worst-case scenario. What would be the worst that could happen in any given situation? Now, look at the reality of what would happen to you if this came true. Would you still survive? Would it still hurt? Sure. But you would/will/and are going to be OK, no matter what happens, so go for it, and live it.

4. Laugh. Make a point as often as you can (I recommend daily), to do something that makes you laugh. It’s contagious and increases the body’s natural endorphins.

5. Embrace yourself wherever you are. We all want something more. We all have those internal goals we try to achieve, but just love what you have now for it was something you once hoped for.

6. Surround yourself by goodness. It is no mistake that when we go on vacation, we are sure to go somewhere that makes us feel good. Why not live this regularly? If you have people around who are not allowing this for you, create a space where they can live, and allow yourself to fill their space with others who are good. YOU deserve goodness.

7. Be kind. Be kind to yourself, your neighbors, your friends, the grouchy person next to you on the train. Be kind … it is contagious.

8. Remember your dreams. Dreams provide hope, and hope is a powerful phenomenon. You CAN achieve anything you want to, because you want to. Let yourself dream — it just may come true.

9. Be rich in love … with YOU. The more you love you, the more the world will love you. We love to love those who love. So give yourself a little hug, show yourself you are worth it, and “they” will follow.

10. Smile! Shere is nothing in the world that reflects our mirror better than our smile. The world is your mirror — frown at it, and you will be frowned at, smile at it, and it will say CHEESE!

A client and I are in a session together. He or she begins to whisper when the conversation turns to explaining to others why they come to therapy. Often times, their voice turns softer, they look at me with lost eyes, and then begin almost desperately trying to justify every reason why they are sitting in front of me. It often feels like a slight mixture of fear, confusion, and desperation. Fear of judgment or having made the wrong choice, confusion because they are better now than when they started coming (but is this just because I am not as upset about “that thing” anymore?), and desperation because they want me to tell them that they are here for the right reasons and help comfort them in validating their choice.

Believe you me, a few years ago, and sometimes even today, I hear the above conversation, and the little voice in my head begins to panic and creates a cocktail that looks really similar to the above remedy. I too, doubt myself, my choices, my work, my actions, all at certain times … Why? Because I am a warm-blooded human who is scared like the rest of us, who wants to be sure that it makes sense and that “they” won’t “say” X, Y or Z about little old ME.

Well, here’s the honest to God truth: there is no such thing as “they.” “They” are YOU, and ME, and our NEIGHBORS, our FRIENDS. “They” are the next person who is scared, confusednand desperate.

So my answer to why do I go to therapy at times is this: “Because when I go and see Mark, I leave there feeling like for the last hour, I could just be me. I could talk about myself and how I felt, I could have him lovingly help me to see how what I am thinking or feeling or doing is or isn’t helping me and my relationships. When I do go to therapy, I feel heard, I feel valued, I feel insightful, open, willing, dedicated, determined, loving, happy, accepting, joy-filled, honored, excited, hopeful, eager, and most importantly and frankly, just BETTER.” I often find that the people to judge or ask me why I pay to go, or tell me their opinion as to why it’s not a good thing — “they” — those people, are often times the ones who need the most love and support and, yep, I’m gonna say it: THERAPY.

Do what you do for you and the world will be so rad!

10 ways to be your best YOU

Why should I go to therapy?