***Depressed, Stressed, And Anxious No More!

Are you caught up in a vicious cycle of stress, depression, or anxiety, and feel like you may never get out? While you can't buy happiness, you can learn how to kick stress, depression, and anxiety out of your life. This easy six-step plan will help you gain control and feel calmer and happier as you get your life back.

1. Make Your Life Your Ow

Your life is all up to you! No matter how bad you have got it, you alone determine your thoughts and your attitude. No more leaving important decisions up to others. No more blaming others for what goes wrong (or what doesn't go at all). No more blaming your body. Your current situation is what it is. Breathe and accept. Now you have some room to explore some new options. Take an honest assessment about whether your current choices, decisions, thoughts, and actions feel good. Are you following your dreams? Are you spending energy and effort doing what it takes every day to feel good and to allow yourself success? If not, activate your imagination and consider what an enjoyable life would look like. Invite yourself to dream of yourself living your most enjoyable life. Remember to fill in the details!

2. Set GoalsnWhy are you here? Every morning wake up and ask yourself why you chose to be alive today. Get used to asking yourself, "Why am I here today?" By asking this question, you take back control of your life and decide to look for the meaning in your existence. Think of happiness in terms of living a meaningful life. Choose long-term goals or a life direction that feels exciting to you. Having a big picture plan points you in the direction you want to go and allows you take action on what is important to you. Then, each week, work out exactly what you want to accomplish and set short-term goals. This will bring structure to your week and you will gain immediate clarity about what your life is about.

3. Focus on Good ThingsnNothing can turn your life around faster than learning how to focus on the good things. Counting your blessings allows you to see your life in a whole new way. Instead of focusing on everything that is imperfect or upsetting, you turn your attention to what you like about your life, and what feels good to you. Purposefully look for evidence of the happiness and abundance already present. A the end of the day, jot down five things that was right with your world. Taking this action allows you to connect more fully to life. You will feel more alive and happier to be alive.

4. Laugh More!
Constant stress can drain you of energy, lead you to habitual emotional overeating, and rob you of focus. In addition, studies have shown that that women who experience high levels of stress have a more difficult time losing weight. These women also have lower energy levels and are sometimes depressed. While you may not be able to avoid stress, you can release the negative effects of stress by laughing! Laughter relaxes muscles, lowers blood pressure, and eases mental tension. In addition, laughing helps to release endorphins that help make you happy and relaxed. Next time you are in a stressful situation or feeling depressed, look for the humor in the situation or decide to rent our your favorite comedy. Laughter really is the best medicine!

5. Make DecisionsnEvery day, decide on one to six achievable action steps that you can take to create that will make your day more enjoyable. Write down those decisions, then follow through. Feel the empowerment of decision making and taking action. In addition, say "yes!" during the day when "yes" is appropriate and say "no!" during the day when "no" is appropriate. You do not need justifications, rationalizations, minimizing, or defending, just a simple yes or no. You are the spokesperson for your life! No more waffling. Make conscious decisions every day - you know you want to.

6. Praise, Praise, Praise at Every Opportunity!
Celebrate your efforts and achievements! You don't need fireworks, but you do need to find ways to acknowledge your efforts and your successes. Doing this establishes and reinforces your belief in yourself. Deliberately and intentionally, create opportunities for success and praise. Use every success and every effort as an excuse for feeling good in your body. Allow yourself to feel like a winner by choosing daily achievable action steps that lead you to your goal.

Happiness doesn't usually just happen; you have to work on creating it. So, the next time stress, depression, or anxiety starts to creep into your life, use these six easy techniques to lighten up, calm your body and mind, and keep the stress from taking control.nn