happy thoughts

                                          
                      Pixie: the ultimate in happy thoughts

"happy thoughts make happy molecules": Deepak Chopra

I love this. It reminds me how I have been happy and healthy, but, at times, I have fallen prey to viruses & colds because I was having an unhappy time. I don't actually feel that when we get some sort of malaise, that it's always "all in the head". No, of course I don't. To me that's just too silly, and too blamey. Some times we do get a virus for practical reasons.

For example:  I got the worst virus of my life from a new flatmate, some years ago. She coughed and sneezed over everything: including toothbrushes, towels, soap, tea towels, dishes, furniture, door handles ... everything. When I finally got that darned virus-from-hell, I realised that it had been inevitable.

Other times when I have been "low", I have been immensely susceptible to "catching" something.

How can that be? Why does this happen? Is it the universe being mean? Or reflecting back to us? I find this sort of attitude too grandiose. Sometimes things are just more simplistic than that. And, I also don't like the reflection attitude. I feel that it's just a wee bit too self absorbed. How can everything be about me? It doesn't make sense.

I do like to remove myself from the psycho babble. And just so you know... I was around it for many years. It made me feel very uncomfortable. I saw too many people pointing the finger of blame at people if they were sick. I had it pointed at me, many a time, over trivialities.

And, for goodness sake, this was an excellent way to make another person unwell. And unhappy. In a study which I read, it was found that unhappy thoughts do lower immunity. I am assuming here that it's a lot of unhappy thoughts.

Whereas, positive thoughts created more antibodies. And it had to do with the brain. These happier thoughts, we have them when we have more activity in a front part of our brain (prefrontal cortex). And when the activity is there, we have more antibodies. This tells me that we can help ourselves, by deliberately being more positive.

And, we all have times in our life, when this is just like pushing water uphill. I have a couple of wee tricks:

• I remove myself from people who make me feel bad about myself
• I go outside and get some "blue": blue sky. This, I know, gives me more serotonin, the calm, happy, and healing neurotransmitter. It sends happier impulses through our body. 
• I remind myself to stand taller, and look "up". Both make me feel happier
• If I'm sitting, I stand. I move, I change my physical body stance. Try it, it works for me. 
• I make myself smile
• I have faith that things will get better 
• I go and see Pixie and have licks, kisses, and hugs

Of course, you will have your own tricks. which I would love to hear, and try.