Chasing Joy

Feel Good Friday – Learn How to Cheer Up and Feel Better.

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I just love the Internet. You can find anything on it. Recently I came across this article entitled Learn How To Feel Good, Cheer Up and Feel Better Now. I am so focused on my quest for joy and feeling down in the dumps is very much the opposite of that. So, I thought learning how to feel good and cheer yourself up would be a perfect topic for Feel Good Friday.

The article gave four tips that you could use together or separately to help yourself feel good or cheer up.
  1. Create a “feel good file” – a list of of every accomplishment you are proud of from as far back as you can remember. Add to the list every time you receive a complement or achieve an accomplishment. Then read your “feel good file” anytime you are feeling down or just want a self esteem boost.

  2. Create a “personal values file” – a list of all the personal values that are important to you. Read through you list and acknowledge that anyone with those values is definitely a good person.

  3. Create a “favorite activities file” – a list of all the activities you like to do including ones from your childhood because there may be adult versions of them. When you need to feel good just pick an activity from the list and do it. If doing it is not practical simply daydream about it.

  4. Think about your personal strengths and then choose an activity that will allow you to use one of you strengths. If you are not sure of your strengths you can take the University of Pennsylvania’s Survey of Character Strengths questionnaire to help you identify them.

I think these are excellent tips and I will use them to help me feel better whenever I need cheering up. I already started building my “files” and I also took the Strengths questionnaire. Here is what I have so far.Feel Good File – my accomplishments include:

  • perfect attendance from K to 12th grade with the exceptions of 2 weeks out for chicken pox, 1 day out for a fractured ankle, and 1 day out in 11th grade for a stomach virus

  • Salutatorian of my 8th grade class

  • Graduated #4 out of several hundred students in my high school c lass

  • Graduating Summa Cum Laude from Temple University

  • Buying a house and a car on my own at the age of 25

  • Learning to recognize when I am not happy in work situations and having the courage to find new positions

  • Maintaining friendships for over 10 and 20 years

  • Not losing my faith in God after my dad died and my relationship ended

  • Starting this Blog

Personal Values File – my personal values include:

  • Intelligent

  • Kind

  • Generous

  • Logical

  • Self Improving

  • Honest

  • God-fearing

  • Considerate

  • Strong

  • Supportive

  • Helpful

  • Loyal

  • Optimistic

  • A Good Daughter

  • Faith

Favorite Activities file includes:

  • Coloring

  • Dancing

  • Cooking

  • Reading

  • Talking to Friends

  • Shopping

  • Watching TV

  • Eating at Fancy Restaurants

  • Spa Treatments

  • Playing With My Cat and Dog

  • Surfing the Internet

I found the results of the strength survey to be very accurate. They are as follows:

  • Caution – I do not do or say things that I may regret later

  • Judgement and open-mindedness – I think things through examining all sides without jumping to conclusions. I base decisions on evidence and allow my self to change my mind.

  • Fairness – I treat people fairly and don’t let my personal feelings influence my decisions about other people. I give everyone a chance.

  • Gratitude – I am aware of my blessings and I do not take them or my friends and family for granted.

  • Spirituality/Faith – My beliefs shape my actions and are a source of comfort for me.

This was a great exercise and a definite self esteem boost. I’ll definitely refer back to it if I feel Joy moving out of my reach. Please share your thoughts on this as well as some of the things on your lists.

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Comments

  3. Excellent! I love these ideas, F4L! I'll be using some of them in my daily life. Thanks! 🙂

  5. love it arlett, i'm gonna take the test. In regards to the files, i also recommend an "amazing file" – i started one way back in my career – its all the absurd things that happen at work, all the ridiculous and silly memos/notes/faxes/emails i've gotten over the years that were just too absurd to toss. Whenver i'm feeling low at work, i think about its contents and giggle. Its a bit sarcastic and maybe not in line with your feel good/do good momentum you have going. But that file has definetley pulled me back from the edge a few times – puts work in perspective of how silly things can get sometimes. marcia

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