Greetings from the blizzards of Lehi, Utah! It has certainly been a long winter in my neck of the woods compared to those on the east coast who've been enjoying beautiful magnolias in full bloom. Hopefully, with all the snow, maybe spring and summer will soon bring superblooms to Utah's mountains.
Lately, I've been reflecting on happiness and how to create a life where happiness isn't so ephemeral or unreliable. Surely, there must be a way to cultivate happiness and allow it to be a more consistent, reliable, and natural part of life.
My reflections, however superficial, led to a greater appreciation of cultivating gratitude. Why? How is gratitude a rung on the ladder of happiness? Read on for a holistic psychiatrist's humble musings on obtaining and maintaining the ultimate desire of every human heart.
Also, I hope you'll enjoy my latest podcast: What is a Good Supplement and How Can You Tell? This podcast shares some practical ways to help you pick a good supplement that is uniquely right for you. It also explains why some supplements are better than others.
Have a super week!
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Gratitude: A Rung on the Ladder of Happiness
How to live happily ever after!
Even if a person owned the whole world and had everyone's love and respect, happiness can still be elusive. Happiness can't depend on material wealth and others' opinions to buoy it up if it is not first built on self-respect and confidence.
Those who enjoy abundance and lack nothing know all too well that happiness isn't a thing. It can't be bought, collected, or stored, no matter how much credit they have on hand.
Those who enjoy health and youth know that happiness needs a firmer foundation than the ephemeral well-being of the physical body, which is here one day and gone the next.
With each step toward obtaining a desired goal or object, we come to realize that happiness isn't truly attached to it, at least not forever.
Happiness is like the mirage of water on a hot roadway, receding as quickly as you drive toward it. It isn't a destination, though everyone attempts to reach it as directly as possible as if they're driving from one town to another.
Perhaps it's because happiness is a spiritual phenomenon with its own quantum physics and movement. Like all things spiritual, such as love or peace, it cannot be reduced to a noun, static and defined, but must be lived through time.
If we can't grab happiness directly, like a hand grabbing an apple, how can we "obtain" true happiness in a way that satisfies our need for its consistent presence?
We need a method that we can consciously control and purposefully improve, which will attract happiness to us like a magnet attracting metal.
I believe one way to attract happiness is to train ourselves to be grateful and to do so purposefully. Gratitude turns our attention away from "not enough" to an appreciation of the gifts we take for granted.
We can consciously stop comparing ourselves to others who make us feel deficient or defective. By focusing on remaining grateful, we can experience abundance and a willingness to share what we have with others.
I remember seeing the corrugated metal shacks that crowded together to form towns by the roadside when I visited South Africa. The people who live there still enjoy community, love, and happiness despite difficult living situations. Though happiness can't be bought, it is free and available to anyone, whether rich or poor.
Why is gratitude a rung on the ladder of happiness? It's an energy that we can easily create entirely of our own volition and intention.
This positive energy raises our vibration up to where love, peace, and abundance exist. In other words, we can choose to be gratefuland in doing so, find ourselves amid the higher vibrational states of being.
Every situation invites us to practice gratitude. Though sometimes we may need to think harder than others.
When I look outside at the snowy drifts, I have a choice to focus on the cold outside or the warmth inside. When I look in a mirror, I can focus on the flaws and judge myself, or I can practice unconditional love and remain grateful for my life.
As I've chosen gratitude more purposefully, it has been easier for me to create and maintain a happy state of heart and mind. Through proper use of intention and practicing a grateful mindset, we can live happily ever after.
Have a wonderful week!
If you have any other questions for me, please contact me here. Thanks!
The Holistic Psychiatrist Podcast
What is a Good Supplement and How Can You Tell?
Season 2 Episode 6
Click here to listen to the full episode
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There are thousands of supplements available, each touting its effectiveness through influential ads. Which ones are really good brands? Which companies are reliable and appropriate for you? Is there an easy technique for judging them when you are in a grocery store?
We discuss basic principles to guide the process of selecting supplements and how to integrate them in a synergistic way. Also, she will share some problems that may arise when the wrong supplements are used, or what can happen if a “good supplement” is used inappropriately.
Click here to listen to all of The Holistic Psychiatrist Podcast episodes.
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To learn more about our co-host, Jack, visit his website:
jackintheway.net
To schedule consultations or appointments, call Dr. Lee's office at 240-437-7600
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The content provided by this podcast is for informational purposes only and has not been approved by the U.S. FDA. This podcast is not intended to provide personal medical advice, which should be obtained from a medical professional.