Feeling Down? Change Your Sad to Glad

Does it feel as if the whole world is conspiring against you? Does it seem that everything that could go wrong is going wrong right now - and is directed against you personally? You got fired. Your credit card is overdue and is in collection. The bank is foreclosing on your mortgage. Your spouse or love
is leaving you. And that phone call was from the hospital informing you that a close relative just had a stroke. Is that a pretty good summary of your life recently?

What to do next? There are basically two ways to respond when all of life seems to go wrong at the same time. One response is justifiable anger. What has happened to you truly isn't fair, and it shouldn't happen to anyone. No one can blame you for being angry at the unfai
ess of it all. However, getting angry at life, or at God, simply doesn't do any good. Justifiable anger doesn't even make you feel any better - at least not after the first couple of minutes.

The other possible reaction when things go very badly is to accept that the events aren't personal - they just feel that way. Bad things happen to each of us, and much worse things happen to some of us - and it isn't fair. But then, no one ever promised that life was supposed to be fair.

Once you can move past focusing on the unfai
ess of it all, you can begin to address the elements of your situation objectively and constructively.

1. Be grateful for the good things in your life. However much is going wrong, much more of your life is going well. Begin a gratitude jou
al. For every bad thing in your life, list five things for which to be grateful. Be grateful for your life, for each breath, for each bite of food and drop of water. Be grateful for each person who serves you in some way, the farmer who grows your food, the people who keep electricity and water flowing to your home, the doctors and firemen and soldiers who stand ready to serve you. Even if you are homeless, you still can have gratitude for your life.

2. Hold a ceremony of gratitude. Place a small piece of food - perhaps a single grape - in the palms of your hands, and raise your hands while giving thanks. Then slowly put the bit of food in your mouth and savor it. If you chose a grape, gently squeeze the juices with your tongue, and let then flow down your throat.

3. Next, hold a ceremony of release. Light a candle or small sacred fire. Write each of your troubles on its own piece of paper. Reverently feed each paper to the fire and watch as your troubles go up in smoke. Give thanks.

4. Now, begin to look at each of your problems as opportunities. What can you learn from each one? How can each trouble be used to move your life in a positive direction. For example, does getting fired create an opportunity to build a whole new career based on a favorite hobby?

5. Don't be too proud to ask for help. Call upon friends for emotional support. Renew or create a connection with a spiritual group. Join a support group targeted to your specific issues.