I am currently deep into making herbal medicines. What is your passion?

While it is hard for me to feel down when springtime hits, I do occasionally get the doldrums. Sometimes, I can slowly slide into a depression without being aware it is coming on. Sometimes, I can quickly fall into it following an upset with another person or situation.

While I believe that occasional depression is not a bad idea as it can cause me to slow down and go inward to examine my emotional state, it’s not good to live there. I like to be proactive and take steps to move it out. Once I identify depression, I can work with it with my energy psychology or call a colleague to help me.

What I have noticed, is that when I am passionate about something, my world feels bigger and happier, and depression usually is not a factor. Quite simply, I am happiest when I am learning. Currently, my consuming passion is growing and collecting my garden herbs plus foraging for wild medicinal herbs. (Dandelion for blood sugar or mullein for lung issues, anyone? Did you know that pomegranate flowers and leaves are great for bleeding gums and heart issues?) I’ve been making tinctures, oils and teas. Previously, it was learning how to can and otherwise preserve food through fermentation and dehydrating. I also get excited about learning Irish and Scottish history.

What captures my attention is not so important to this story as the point that I am excited about something. The current political scene, while worrisome, is no longer pulling me down. Minor disagreements with others seem quickly worked out. So if you are feeling ho-hum today, consider learning a skill or new information.

Feeling upbeat affects your health, both mentally and physically in positive ways. Happiness is a true balm for good health. What is your passion?

What is the first thing you think when you awaken each morning? Is it pleasant or do you start dreading the day? Is it positive or do you worry? Is it happy or do you recount wrongs done to you?

The first thing you think can influence your whole day. Think positively, and you will start with good feelings. Cogitate on negative things and you just may be in a bad mood all day.

Why not consciously create a morning thought in advance? Our mind is obedient and will follow our training. Training our brain is how we learn skills. Thinking positive thoughts regularly is a valuable skill to develop as it allows us to feel better, we are physically healthier, and people enjoy being around us.

Consider these possibilities to brighten your day:

1.  Create a new habit
2. Focus on a specific task
3. Spark goal motivation

Some important things to remember in formulating your morning thoughts are:

1. Is it true?  Both your unconscious as well as your conscious minds are clear about untruths, and will rebel at lies, hampering your success.
2. Is it realistic?  It would be preferable to be something you can accomplish that day. Perhaps it is a yearlong project you are working on, but there is something you can do that very day to progress the goal.
3. Is it simple?  Hey, your brain is just waking up, and doesn’t get complications immediately. Don’t confuse it. Formulate your morning thought in a familiar and pleasant way.
4. Does it empower you?  This whole idea is about empowering you to do or be more than you are. Be careful to uplift and inspire yourself.
5. Is it easy to remember? Choose an easy phrase to remember so that you will be able to use it often.

I like to write mine down on sticky notes and put them on my shower curtain and on my bathroom mirror before I go to bed. It’s useful to think your morning thought before you go to sleep. Then, I encounter the chosen thoughts first, instead of whatever else might run through my creative brain. It also prepares me for meditation.

You may want to do it that way, or if you wake with your iPhone, set it up there. Just be sure it is one of the very first things you see.

You might consider one of these phrases or a variation of the same:

• I choose to live this day to the best of my ability in terms of excellence and productivity.
• Today, I will be optimist (one I am working on right now due to the state of our country).
• Today, I commit to exercising for at least 20 minutes (or 30 minutes or an hour, etc.)
• I am in charge of how I feel, and today I choose happiness.
• I expect to be successful in all of my endeavors. Success is my natural state.
• I will finish that contract today and it will be excellent.
• I have healthy boundaries with my partner.

Once you begin this simple practice, watch for results. Is your mood better during the day? Are you more motivated? Do you experience a reduction in stress levels? Are you getting better results? Be a self-observer to note differences.

Keep the same statement for a while or get a new one each day. I like to ride one until it is no longer needed or I am no longer responding to it. Then I choose a new one.

I am excited to share this tidbit for your life’s improvement. I’d love to hear how it works for you.