How helping others can help you
So here is what I am thinking; sometimes it is really hard to be positive. Especially in Los Angeles, where it takes you 30 minutes to drive 4 miles and the freeways look like parking lots. You are swamped with work and you haven't eaten since this morning and all of the sudden your husband gets home and says he had a bad day. How do you balance your hangry feelings and be supportive for the person you love? Well, for one, Eat Something! (and check out my blog on Good Food = Good Mood) Two, positivity breeds positivity . So the last thing you might be thinking when you are stressed and annoyed is being positive but research shows that doing nice things for others can improve our mood. Remember the movie Pay It Forward? Think about it that way. And I am not talking about volunteering at a soup kitchen on the weekends (though that would be a nice thing to do), I am talking about small things. Small actions you can do throughout your day that are FREE and not only make others feel good but improve your mood at the same time!
Here are some ways to get started:
- Point out people's strengths i.e. "I like how you speak your mind"
- Offer compliments to strangers
- Let someone go ahead of you in line
- Bake something for your friends or neighbors
- Help someone who is struggling to parallel park
- Buy coffee for the person behind you in a long morning line
On a side note, I am now accepting direct billing at my Los Feliz office for those with PPO insurance. If you or someone you know is looking for a therapist in the area, please refer them to my site.
