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By Cori Russell on April 23, 2012

No, that is not the name of a tiny European country your Great Aunt vacations at every summer. It is hidden beauty. When you look at something, a face, a flower, a glistening scoop of chocolate ice cream, you can choose to see it the way you see it. What if I told you that you could have the same type of mind-altering treatment as Jack Black’s character in Shallow Hal? What if everywhere you looked you saw beauty? Imagine the most beautiful object, place, or person you can. Seriously, close your eyes and do it right now. I imagined myself. (Just kidding!) I imagined being surrounded by water, on a calm lake, just floating on a raft with my best friend. I guess that’s my happy place.

I’ve learned, sometimes the difficult way, that our moods and perceptions are largely reflective of our thoughts. And on an even deeper level, they are reflective of the chemicals in our brain. What we put into our body (i.e., food, time, information from movies or books, experiences, etc.) has a large effect on what comes out in our moods. We think it’s common sense that we need to eat healthy foods to have healthy bodies, but what about our minds? If I feed my mind reruns of Jersey Shore and Desperate Houswives all day, it’s like the equivalent of eating greasy fast food. (Not that you can’t or shouldn’t watch your favorite shows! Just like with yummy hamburgers and fries it’s all about moderation). We need to feed our minds good thoughts in order to have healthy emotions. Unfortunately many ads on TV focus on telling you what you need to improve about yourself, whether it be your looks or your financial status.  Even though I know that those things aren’t what really matter, I can’t help but get caught up in it if it’s all I expose myself to for a while.

So I try to remember that even though the pile of work on my desk may seem like it never goes down, and the hours in my day may go by too fast, if I focus just ten minutes a day on what I am grateful for, I start to see the world from a fresher, happier perspective. I remember that at least I have the opportunity to work, especially in a warm, sheltered environment. I remember I have options as to how I want to live my life, I’m not stuck merely trying to scrounge for food like many unfortunate people in the world today. I remember that this work isn’t everything. And suddenly that pile of papers looks minimal compared to the literal mountain I want to climb on the weekend. There is mixture of good and bad in almost every situation, but you can choose what you want to focus on.

 

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