Keeping Things in Perspective
We’ve all had days where nothing is going right and it feels like the world is out to get you. Your commute may have been worse than usual, or you ran into a problem at work. No matter what’s getting you down, it’s easy to stay in that negative head space. Getting your mood back up can be challenging, but it can positively affect the rest of your day and eve week.
It sounds easy in theory, but how can you really change your mood? The key is to keep things in perspective. In his article, Eric Barker discusses some ancient theories on maintaining happiness and managing stress.
“Ask, ‘What would I recommend if this happened to someone else?'”
Based off of his research into ancient Stoic theories, Barker’s biggest piece of advice is to keep things in perspective. A great way to do this is by considering how you would advise someone else in the same situation. Say a friend tells you about a situation at work that they’re really upset about, but from your perspective they might be overreacting a bit. You might say to them to take a step back, take some breaths, and calm down before they react. Apply the same suggestion to yourself. Oftentimes, our emotions (negative or positive) can cloud our judgment of a situation. Give yourself the same advice you’d give to that friend, and think critically about the situation. Do your best to take your emotions out of it and see the big picture.
Image retrieved from Pixabay under the public domain.