A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

Raindrops on Noses and
Whispers from Kittens,
Bright Cotton Candy and
Worn Out Old Kitchens

Although these things are a little different from the lyrics that were in the 1965 musical movie The Sound Of Music, it still helps make me smile. It could be the humor or just that I like these things.

At some time during any week many of us must face a frustrating day. We can wake up a bit tired, spill something unexpectedly, or discover something has broken down that wasn’t in our budget for the month. When it is just one thing, the situation can possibly consume our thoughts and leave us upset for the whole day. If it is a string of frustrating situations that occur in the same day, or closely together, our world can become turned around or knocked sideways for a moment. The best course of action usually depends on the person and the situation. The least helpful to someone, it would seem, would be to let it upset your entire day or week.

If we think back in our life, we might find that at some point there were fewer stresses that affected our days. It might not mean that those pressures of the day weren’t there, we just might not have been at that stage of life where we had to manage certain responsibilities.

One thought that our mind might entertain and dismiss as quickly as it enters is how nice it would be if we could turn back the clock and let someone else take care of the frustrations.

I remember hearing many people say that they couldn’t wait to grow up. I think that it was easy to overlook the warning about when it happens. There’s a whole world of disappointments that come with maturity. The more things you buy that you need and use, the more likely there will be repairs and replacement of those things one after another.

Depending on the situation, you can tackle it head on, let it lie and wait for it to work itself out, or get used to it whether something entered or exited your life. When it is truly a life changing event there might come a time when external help or counseling is necessary, but if it is something that you can manage on your own, then finding the thoughts that will help you to stay calm and focused are important.

Each of us will eventually cope with a situation and hopefully everything will work out, so that you can move on to the next adventure in your life. Whenever it is possible, reset your mind to take it off the emphasis of the situation that disturbed your day. You might find that the stress will begin to subside, any anxiety will lessen, and you can see the course of action that you need to take.

If you can think back on the little things that used to make you happy when you were younger you might be able to distract yourself from the current frustration. Although it isn’t always easy to do, when it comes to the irritation, let it go.

As mentioned in the beginning of A Few Of My Favorite Things, these seem to help change my thoughts by cultivating humor throughout my day.

In the article “Laughter Prescription” on the NCBI website, the US National Library of Medicine, National Institute of Health, it discusses studies that have been conducted and the potential medical effects of laughter. It mentions that there are “no negative side effects of laughter and humor” and there are “universal positive results associated with existing studies of laughter.”

This could indicate that the sooner you find the positive distraction that works in your life, the easier it will be to cope with the frustrations and the health benefits can be more positive then the alternative course.

What are A Few Of Your Favorite Things?

Reference Article

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2762283/