n order to beat the bug you will need to consider just how your life has caused or is causing your mood to change. This is finding the root of the problem,
and just like pulling a weed, we need to make sure the whole root is ripped out to make sure the thing doesn't start growing back again. But before we tackle
this process, which I can guide you though in future lessons, I thought I'd get you started on beating the symptoms. This may sound a backwards method, but
it can take a lot longer to free your mind while you are still very unhappy. For this reason it is far easier to work with yours
elf if you already in a positive state and you will feel more hopeful and much happier as well.
Shock tactics first. Stick your tongue out and blow a raspberry at the world. Go on... stuff 'em all. Mess up your hair a bit, loosen your clothing. That's
better. Tense? Get up and jump around or sing the rhyme 'Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside'. Better? Relax and let it all go a while.
Firstly of all, lets cut your problem down a little by thinking just how fortunate you really are. Fortunate? Yeah you! You are not blind or deaf, you have
both your arms and legs and can move about freely. Most of us don't realise how lucky we are to have our complete selves. If you can see any
body else from where you are now, take a closer look at there activities. Now think about how they have lead their lives - they have their own problems too.
Ok, they may not be as unhappy as you are but maybe you haven't had to face some of the traumas they have managed to face. Maybe you haven't
had to cope after a sudden infant death, or been in a serious car accident. They may be going though a very bad divorce, or may have to face life threatening
diseases such as cancer or even AIDS. Yeah, there are lots of problems, all of which you can be thankful you don't have to deal with. Nobody
has ever lived a completely happy life. Everybody is trying to cope with the world as best they can. As soon as you realise everybody is in the same boat
together, your troubles can seem so much more in perspective.
So how do you cope? Well, the only person who can see your problems is YOU, right? So if you don't show your problems to anybody else then who's
gonna know? This is known as 'Putting on a brave face' and can be a great way of showing the world that you don't let you worries get to you - even if they
do. You may be thinking that this approach will simply lock your troubles behind a heavy door, where they will do more harm than getting them out into the
open. This would be true but by following my guide I hope we will be able to work on these causes completely and privately in your own home. In the
meantime, you can leave everything behind on your doorstep and go to work without them weighing down on your shoulders. Just blame it all on the
Depression. Showing your teeth when you smile is one way of making people believe you are ok. If you have become unused to this practice or you have
forgotten how to smile then this will get you back into the habit. People also have an curious subconscious instinct (which I will call the Smile Reflex) which
you can take full advantage of. If you smile at someone, they will crave the feeling of happiness too, so they may tell you a joke o
r say something which cheers them up and makes you smile even more. People love to make other people happy, it makes them feel happier and raises self
esteem all-round. You are also more likely to enter into conversations if you show you are in a good mood as you will instantly become more approachable
and open to what they have to say. The more you are able to talk, the more poeple will try to cheer you up, and the more you are able to share your views the
happier you will become. Good cheer really does go a long way. But all this will only start to happen if you put your past away until you
are can deal with it.
Sometimes people find they can no longer talk to others like they used to be able to. Do you ever feel concerned about how other people see you? Are you
unable to mix for fear of rejection? Lets explain about the Worlds Theory. Everybody has their own world which they alone live in. As you read
this, only you can see what you see with your eyes. Only you can hear exactly what you hear and only you are thinking what you are thinking right now.
Everybody else will see, hear and think things too in their own way, but not in the same way as you do. Imagine yourself standing in the centre of
huge bubble which covers everything you can see, hear, smell etc, you are in the middle and the whole planet revolves around you. This is what it is actually
like to live and experience life. People walk through your bubble all the time, focused on their own lives and their own problems. You can let
people into your bubble and make room for them, or you can leave them outside your area. You may also think that your world revolves around your child
or your partner, and although your may put aside a great deal of time to be with them, your life is still yours alone. Once you realise everybody h
as their own world, you may be able to see you are totally free to do anything you want within your own world. Do strangers really care what you do?, and if
they do what does it matter to you what they think? You are an individual. The world is yours so you can go and experience any part of it.
- Make sure you give yourself at least 10mins break before moving onto chapter 3.
