How To Create Your Own Happiness

on July 20, 2009

in All Posts

Wow! You guys had some interesting comments today!

Regarding the stomach issues: After some online investigation and talking to my mother (who’s a nurse), I do not think it is gallbladder stones, a food allergy, or acid reflux. I think I’m just really, really freakishly busy and stressed and my stress is manifesting itself physically.
Regarding the Oven Timer issue: I LOVE how many people use an Oven Timer instead of a stopwatch or Garmin. I still really want a Garmin, but I don’t think it’s a purchase we can make right now. 🙁

Moving on….

My appetite came back this afternoon and I managed to eat some really yummy stuff:

Granola and Oikos yogurt:

Dates:

As usual, dinner was eaten in stages. First, I had a banana and a bar:

A little bit later, I gave in to my cookie desires and ate about 2/3 of this chocolate chip cookie while at night shift:

BEST… COOKIE… EVER.

And when I got home around 10, I slammed a double portion of Amazing Grass because I realized I hadn’t eaten a single vegetable all day (oops).

How To Create Your Own Happiness

I went on a serious Operation Beautiful spree today in a public restroom. I was feeling kind of down and drained, so I pulled out my packet of post its and started to write motivational messages. I think the beauty of Operation Beautiful is that the messages are really to YOURSELF even though you are posting them for other people to find.

One of the things that the Husband has taught me is that you create your own reality. The Husband is kind of like a wise old man who’s stuck in a 25 year old’s body, I swear. :) All joking aside, he taught me… the natural pessimist… to see the BEAUTY and the JOY in everything.

There is ALWAYS something to smile about. You cultivate your own happiness; it isn’t something that just "happens" to people. Everyone in the world has something negative to focus on, but happy people choose to focus on the good, no matter what the proportion of bad to good is.

I really am a natural pessimist. I can worry too much, I tend to stress too much, I like to overplan and overcompensate… but I’ve CHANGED the way I view the world.

I am an optimist convert. 🙂

Have a wonderful evening, my bloggy friends!

{ 33 comments }

Help Meghan Run July 20, 2009, 7:37 pm
Yay for optimists. 🙂 I love it!
Island Girl Eats July 20, 2009, 7:43 pm
I love all of your notes. Sooooo positive and inspiring.
Kathy (Moving Beyond Perfection) July 20, 2009, 7:52 pm
Aww I completely understand! When I'm super stressed out, my stomach goes crazy too. Sometimes, I don't even THINK I'm stressed out, but then my mom will point out how packed my schedule has been, etc. and I realize that I'm probably just subconsciously feeling like I'm under a lot of pressure. Breathing in/out deeply helps me a lot though. Take care of yourself! Love your optimism too 🙂
runnerskitchen July 20, 2009, 7:54 pm
Stress can definitely mess with your body. A few weeks ago my vision went all haywire and I got the worst migraine – mostly from being stressed out at work! I'm glad you treated yourself to a cookie. Always makes me feel a little better!
Jennifer @ His N' Her Health July 20, 2009, 7:56 pm
I am a natural pessimist too. Always worried about stupid shit and stressed! The boyfriend always has to remind to me calm down and relax. Hope your tummy feels better!
RhodeyGirl/Sabrina July 20, 2009, 8:15 pm
ummmm i think the belly issues could also be related to all those dates!!!! dates can cause some weird tummy pains 😉

p.s. obviously stress too, but maybe lay off the belly rumbling food until you feel back to yourself???
eatingjourney July 20, 2009, 8:16 pm
'A relationship adds to your life, it doesn't fill a void'…well it looks like he's added to your life. What a good man. Love the post its. I've been putting them up around town.
Shannon July 20, 2009, 8:18 pm
you work so much, and plus didn't you buy him a bike?? i think you deserve it. 🙂
Rebeca @All Vegged Out July 20, 2009, 8:23 pm
I love that last one!

I hope your tummy starts feeling better… maybe HTP readers should all hint to Garmin that they need to send you one 😉
Mrs. Myers @ Eat Move Write July 20, 2009, 8:25 pm
My husband is the same for me. We are lucky women. 🙂 Spreading joy brings more. You're in for a load of joy. 🙂
HangryPants July 20, 2009, 8:48 pm
LOL on Sabrina and the dates. 😀
livelaughlyss July 20, 2009, 9:10 pm
the only thing i can think of re: the tummy troubles is maybe you aren't eating balanced enough dinners? i hate to sound like one of those annoying people but i speak from experience! whenever i used to "snack" instead of sit down for a balanced meal, it would NEVER sit right and no food ever agreed with me until i fixed it! maybe instead of bars and pb sammies your tummy would be happier that's not processed at all? just a thought… worth a shot! don't give up cookies though – they're the bestest 🙂
eatingRD July 20, 2009, 9:26 pm
I totally agree, it's amazing how what we think can completely manifest in our lives. I am a lot like you and tend to worry and think about things too much to the point of making myself sick (tummy havoc!) Don't 'have' a great day, 'make' it a great day. How we perceive things in life definitely makes a huge difference 🙂
whole body love July 20, 2009, 11:44 pm
What a great way to cultivate happiness! Hopefully, the stress AND the tummy troubles will calm down for you soon.
Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point July 21, 2009, 3:30 am
rhodygirl – everyone keep saying that about high fiber food, but i seriously cannot think of healthy food that ISNT high fiber – am i just being dense? LOL

lyss – i would rather eat a sit down meal during the week but it doesn't really work with my schedule. i agree that snacking for dinner sucks!
Amy July 21, 2009, 3:53 am
Thank you for a few things! –

1. The "I'm a machine" mantra, which helped me psyche myself up to finish my swim yesterday.

2. The stomach issue question, as I have issues with the same thing minus the pain.

3. Recommending the bicycling.com site as I train for my upcoming race, it has so many great tips!

Love the blog!
Spotty Prep July 21, 2009, 3:55 am
Great post! I love those particular pink smile post-its.
Sarah (Running To Slow Things Down) July 21, 2009, 4:34 am
My stomach knows when I'm stressed too…I notice it gets worse during busy school semesters/finals. Hope it gets better for you! I find that just knowing its stress related really helps to calm the problems down for me. 🙂

YAY for optimism! 🙂
Juli D July 21, 2009, 5:10 am
It's funny you chose last night to have a "Create Your Own Happiness" post. I had a HORRIBLE day due to things I couldn't control, and came home and wanted nothing more than to pass out on the couch and pout. However, I knew that would make me feel worse at the end of the day – so I went for a run, did some Shred, made a lovely dinner, did some laundry and turned my bad day good. Life really is what you make it!
Pam July 21, 2009, 5:19 am
Love your post-its!

http://www.alovefornewrecipes.blogspot.com
Julie July 21, 2009, 6:00 am
I saw your happiness post and wanted to recommend a book I just finished…"Geography of Bliss" by Eric Weiner…its about the 'happiest' places on earth, what makes them happy, happiness studies, etc…its very interesting and a good read!
whitsgettingfit July 21, 2009, 6:06 am
Love your optimistic tips! 🙂
Red Head, Yellow Dog July 21, 2009, 6:13 am
Isn't it awesome how the men in our lives can do that to ya? J has showed me the power of doing things for others. He's the kind of guy that when he thinks about winning a million dollars, his first thought is what he wants to get for all the people in his life. When he finds something he loves, he wants to share it with everyone so they can love it too. It's really remarkable and has taught me so much!
Jess July 21, 2009, 6:50 am
I loved this post, Caitlin! I am a natural pessimist too, so I have to work hard to at least see both sides of the situation, if not be completely optimistic. One of my past boyfriends tried to teach me to live in the moment-since I tend to think wayyy to far in the future and thus get stressed about about it. It's hard, but it does work!
Anonymous July 21, 2009, 7:01 am
Stress is a great deal more powerful than many of us think and the somache is one of the first places in which people hold said stress. I hope you can find a way to decrease some stress in your life, because if you ignore it for too long, it will become much more serious. I have been there, so I only speak out of concern.

Something I found in regards to stomache issues adn stress, was how delicate the somache is during these times. That said, I found that it helped with the less sugar I put into my stomache, even the naturally occuring sugars in fruits and veggies.

Youo might consider taking some probiotics, to help put good bacterias back in your tummy, as they easily get depleted in times of stress.

Best to you!!!
ElizMichelle July 21, 2009, 8:03 am
Hi, I was just wondering what kind of granola you use? It always looks so yummy in the pictures you post!
-Elly
Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point July 21, 2009, 8:03 am
eliz- that was homemade granola. i just combined oats, maple syrup, veggie oil, coconut and baked it for 20 minutes at 350
just me July 21, 2009, 9:12 am
totally a pessimist and brad helped me see the joy and fun in things…too bad he moved away. gotta keep trying though..:D
hiking in stilettos July 21, 2009, 9:12 am
How, funny. My (almost) husband is the same way… a wise old man in a 27 year old body. He is my source of optimism!
Laura July 21, 2009, 9:41 am
Your post-it notes are pretty dang cool.
seesaraheat July 21, 2009, 11:42 am
Caitlin, thanks so much for sharing your stomach issues. A cousin of mine has been going through this for a couple of months now and she's been tested for a dozen things and her tests keep coming back fine. So I emailed her to see if she was really stressed out about something…
Lindsay August 20, 2010, 3:51 pm
I know this post is over a year old, but I found your blog through the grapevine and have been reading random old posts, but I just wanted to tell you this post was so ridiculously helpful! As a chronic pessimist, my husband is CONSTANTLY trying to get me to see the good in situations…glad to know there’s someone that’s actually “converted!” Gives me hope! 🙂

BTW, I think I may a girl-crush on you…LOVE the blog! (ok, that was weird, wasn’t it…yeah sorry bout that! :))
- caitlin August 20, 2010, 3:58 pm
  heheh HI!
  
  Thanks for reading 🙂 🙂 I appreciate it.

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