There comes a time in everyone’s life when “getting happy” is more easily said than done.  Perhaps you have lost some one, had a falling out in a friendship, undergone some relationship complications or it just doesn’t seem that things are going your way and lining up the way you’d like them to.  That is when it may take a little extra effort to see the bright side of the road.  With some solid techniques and the right attitude, you will soon be basking in the light at the end of that seemingly never-ending tunnel.

If you haven’t heard about, read or watched The Secret yet, um, go get it now!  If for nothing else other than to gain awareness of the Law of Attraction.  As Justin Timberlake cheekily put it “what goes around comes back around”.  That which you give out is what you attract back into your life.  So the thoughts that you entertain today actually forecast what will be happening to you tomorrow.  Part of that is acknowledging the power of the mind.  “The mind is the cause of your bondage and the mind is the cause of your liberation,” states the Bhagavad-Gita.  We do not realize that we are affirming all the time, both in words and in thought.  And so it is up to us to change our mental habits to those that are more positive if we are to bring greater positivity and happiness into our lives.

A recent study found that our minds depict our moods and it is not the other way around.  “Therefore, if you think right you will feel right,” says SRF monastic Brother Anandamoy.  They say, what you think about you bring about.  So how can you begin to change your mental patterns and change the path you are currently on to a better one?  Incorporate some of the tips listed below into your daily life and in about a week you will feel a difference.

1.)   Make time for yourself to be alone and quiet.  Clear your mind from all the restless worries and insecurities it is constantly bombarding itself with and focus solely on your breath.  Breath in and breath out- thinking about filling up your tummy and then emptying it.  When your mind strays, bring it back and concentrate only on your breathing, drawing all your attention to one place.  Try incorporating this into your routine for 5 minutes at the start of your day. Then add another 5 minute session on to the end of your day.  Then increase from 5 minutes to 10.  Takes as much time as you need.  By starting and ending your day this way you are checking in with yourself and generating will power and mind power in a concentrated way.

2.)   Another technique that is very useful is visualization.  Perhaps after you have gotten yourself to a calm receptive and focused state through the previous breathing exercise, you can try visualising that which you want to bring into your life.  Beyond just visualising that which you desire, cultivating the feeling of what it is like to have what you want creates an even stronger energy.  See it, feel it, and believe it.

3.)   Or, if you do not feel you know what you want or need you can chant “fill me with peace and harmony” or “send what is best” over and over again- affirming each statement.

4.)   Watch your thoughts! We are creatures of habit and so if you have gossiped or spoken negatively about yourself or someone else in the past (yea- that pretty much means all of us) you will need to make sure you do not fall back into entertaining such negative sentiments.  So easy to say and so hard to do.  The thing is, it is hard in the beginning so that once you have broken the pattern it will again be hard to go back the other way- use that one for ammunition against those negative thoughts!

5.)   Finally, be good to yourself, and surround yourself with the right people.  It is said that environment is the strongest influence, so be in the company of those whom you admire and exhibit traits you yourself would like to manifest.  Chances are you will begin to align your thoughts and actions to theirs without even noticing it.

So there you have it- five simple techniques to put you on the road to a happier you!  Try one or all of them for one week and begin to feel the benefits of wielding the mind to work for you and create your emotional, spiritual and physical state of well being.