Where do you go when life gets you down?

Last week I heard a story about a young lad who came home from school in floods of tears. His mum asked him what was wrong and he said he had bad memories. His teacher had been talking about health and specifically how important it was to have a healthy heart. The boy was 10 years old with a congenital heart disorder which had meant many spells in hospital and major surgery. He is now very well and requires no further surgery but the teacher had evoked memories of a time when he was scared and vulnerable and this had made him cry. His sensible mother explained to him that he could very quickly get rid of sad thoughts by replacing them with happy thoughts. Her son was a bit sceptical and said he would give it a go, after a few seconds he said it had worked and he felt happy again. His mum asked him what he had thought of and he said he had gone to his “Happy Place” and played with his dogs.

For all of us there will be times, often when we least expect it when something or someone will evoke a memory that is upsetting. By concentrating on a happy memory it is possible to reverse the unhappy feelings, so the next time you are feeling down – go to your “Happy Place”.

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