Louise Lague, MA NCC /  The Transitions of  Midlife

Happiness Basics, continued

So, whenever you feel fear, all you have to do is switch to appreciation. Think about things you have in your life that you appreciate. Studies have shown that when we sit back and make lists of the people and things we are grateful for,  (writing it down is extra-reinforcing) our heartbeat slows, our psyche changes, our breathing stabilizes, our stress level goes down. AND the effect can last for several hours.

Happy people practice fear prevention by making the list every morning, and changing it slightly each day makes you focus on meaning. We just need three to five things -- our children's health and safety, a loving partner, meaningful work, or any work at all, good weather, the check that came in....anything will do. 

I had a chance to practice this during a recent ambulance journey after I dislocated my hip. The pain was excruciating,  the cause and outcome were uncertain, and fear was hovering, ready to invade. I made a mental list of good things: It's not fatal, I'm in good hands, I have a loving friend with me, the EMT was squirting morphine into me even as we rode, I have good health insurance, and once again, it's not fatal.

This list did nothing to stop the pain -- while all this appreciation was going on, so were the shrieks and moans -- but it did keep my systems calm. That's important because in order to get morphine, one's blood pressure has to  remain at a steady level. And in this case, temporary pain relief was the only solution until the emergency room doctor snapped me back together with one quick shove. 

Not an experience I'd ever want to repeat. What I do repeat every single morning is a list of things I'm grateful for . Even in the worst of times, there is something to appreciate. And it drives away fear everytime. 

 Give it a try. Let me know what happens.

l