Sometimes attitude is all I have. Snow –like cold dark thoughts— clings more easily than sunshine. It can be difficult to keep ahead of the bad weather or the bad mind-set. Everyone has down times or bad days. Pain makes some of those difficult to shrug off.

Here’s what I do:

Engage in positive conversations. In real or virtual frames staying happy is an active endeavor. Find something– even the simplest topic– that you enjoy and talk to someone about it. It can be as easy as engaging a friend on Facebook about a picture or telling your child which cereal you like. Keep it simple and listen or read the responses. Look for what makes the other person smile and you might reflect that emotion.

Commit an act of random kindness. Help someone. Even the tiniest effort can go a long way in improving emotional state. It can be an open effort where you receive praise or –my personal favorites— the kind of thing that no one but you will know you did. Examples are easy—- A kind word on a blog goes a long way, a compliment to a stranger, picking up a piece of discarded trash, putting a few dollars in a charity jar,helping someone carry groceries or other items, or even a smile on Facebook or at the store. You’d be surprised how much a smile can help!

Engage in self-expression— drawing, writing, blogging— It doesn’t matter if you demonstrate pain, anger or joy, let the emotions flow. Like a good cry at a sad movie, you will feel better afterward.

Move. Sometimes exercise can help. In the face of extreme pain it can be difficult, but the endorphins released can often be worth the effort. There was a time that I lifted weights to deal with emotional upsets and it works! Generally now I’m the dead weight I lift, but the principle is the same.

These are ways that I cope. What do you do?