“Why not you try to find yourself some pleasurable activities, and go ahead to do it,  even when you don’t feel like doing it. You’ll be surprised at the end of it by how much better you may feel.”

“Can you give me an example of what I can do?”

“How about travelling? Going on a holiday?” (having known that this patient is financially capable)

“But there are so many disasters everywhere!”

“…”

A depressed man will only focus on negative aspects of things. He sees travelling as being involved in disasters or accidents and dying in other places, away from friends and family.

Just like myself – when I first started work, I remember so much of those family members or patients who were so grateful with their improvements after visiting us. Yesterday when I was discussing some cases with the doctor, I realized we’re now only focusing on the tricky bad cases, who don’t respond well to our treatments. We never really have time to even think about and appreciate the good ones.

This is how much we focus on the problems, and negative aspects of our lives. Once in a while we may realize how much we have in life (e.g. when you come across Nick Vijicic), but soon we forget about it and start to moan about life again.

This is probably so normal, as it is how we’re brought out up, and are taught to do. An engineer works in a factory will only focus on the machine that isn’t working and doesn’t realize there are 8 other machines that work completely fine and require no attention.

Of course, if they require no attention why do I pay attention on them? Of course, if my limbs are working fine why do I even think about them? Of course, if my tooth isn’t aching why will I realize how suffering it’s when it’s aching? Of course, if my mother washes all my clothes for me why will I still pay attention on it and remember to be thankful?

In fact if you think, it’s so damn easy to find something and feel grateful, happy about it. So, easy. But we only focus our attention on the bad, the negative, the downside. And when this happens in almost every aspect of your life, you’re most probably depressed.

So let’s try to do this when you’re disappointed, feeling a bit low, frustrated, unfairly treated, in pain, try to distract yourself from those negative feeling/thought, and think about something that make you feel grateful and positive, then focus on it/them!

Practice it often and hopefully we’ll all soon become happy people.