Thoughts at lunch time...

Amidst lunch hour today I stopped by the insightful blog of a friend as it discusses thoughts on why we do what we do and how we create meaning and happiness in our world. Recently, amidst the steadfast joy in my life that comes from my faith along with love of God-others-self, I hit a roadblock and was having a sad and difficult day both due to my own internal state, yet too given recent hardships and stressors several friends were facing. I stopped by various sites and chose to take yet another "Happiness test"... there are several available. Although I was feeling sad and stressed at the time, and wishing to nurture my own needs as well as be there for others, amidst the "down" state, I reached to an internal source of faith, love and comfort-- perhaps from the Lord, yet too in the subtle supportive messages from those around as well as the comfort and insight provided from personal writing. I thought of how even when we are sad, down, hurting, or having a difficult day, we can hold to optimism in the process keeping in mind the natural hills and valleys that come along in life. As one who works in mental health, I consider the difference between sad and depressed. The state of sadness is a mood, yet one can feel this way and still have optimism, hope, and a fervent love of life. Yet with depression often comes a hopeless outlook, lack of interest, and difficulty performing daily activiites. Perhaps as we work with individuals who feel depressed, or if any of you, we, or anyone we know or work with becomes depressed, in addition to the natural means of addressing the depression (i.e. meds, exercise, light therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, etc.)... efforts to consider means by which we can shed light on perspective and bring hope may prove fruitful in the long run. For those interested in the insightful blog I referred to, you may access it at: http://www.doinglifewell.blogspot.com/ wonderful information!

I too have always found useful the Happier.Com website as it has many useful resources and self assessments:

http://www.happier.com/form.htm;jsessionid=852335ABA3936455DBC61E034B9DF7FA

So as to save my results (as quoted) from the self assessment, they are copied here:

YOUR RESULT: Balanced and Happy You are very balanced and well-rounded. When you hit an emotional funk or a frustrating situation, you have the ability to step back and carefully evaluate the problem and your response. Keep on doing what you are doing. But don't stress if you accidentally let a work issue spill into your personal life or handle a situation in a way you wish you hadn't. You are human, and mistakes are going to happen. The good news is that you'll take them all as learning experiences and be better for them in the end. Kudos to you!

Yeah, the concept of mood is fascinating... as is how we create, sustain, nourish, and respond to our moods. Perhaps it is a unique dance between our thought process, our mood, our actions, and our interactions (smile).

Blessings to anyone who stops by