Good evening!  Thank you for reading the Self Help Tips Blog.  Today I would like to share several tips that you can use to stay positive during the current global economic crisis.

"Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." – Abraham Lincoln

In times of economic hardship, many people become confused and can feel inadequate.  Financial woes can often lead to stress and even health problems.

When it seems like you just can’t win, staying positive can take a lot of extra effort. However, one of the answers to getting through tough times is smiling. Scientific studies have shown that smiling is actually good for your health and can lower stress.  Thinking about your family or a joyous occasion from the past is sure to put a smile on your face.

Happiness is the best medicine for bad times and economic downturns. True happiness cannot be pulled out of thin air or purchased at the local mall.  However, it can be found by digging inside yourself and finding things to laugh and smile about, even when it seems like the rest of the world is falling apart.

Once you have found enough things to smile about, you’ll have the power to bring positive changes and increased happiness into your life.

Believe it or not, happiness is all around you and finding some is definitely worth the time and effort. Spending time with other people is an excellent place to start. Your social networks can take you away from your troubles and give you some much-needed personal time with others. Instead of rotting in front of the television for an hour, try chatting with a friend. Social interaction is one of the best ways to improve your mood, so make an effort to participate in it more often.

Even in the worst of times, there are always small things to be happy about… the secret is to look for them. Take a moment to think about what has made you smile in the past. What has made you laugh?

Once you’ve thought of a few things that have brought a moment of happiness into your life, write them down in the form of a list. Do the daily comic strips in the newspaper make you laugh? If so, start cutting out the funny ones and create a scrapbook that you can read whenever you need a good chuckle.

It is also a good idea to think of some of the things that have made you laugh, smile or have filled you with joy in the past couple of weeks and write them down in a “happiness journal” that you can read to cheer yourself up.

Do you love cats and dogs? Do pictures of babies make you warm and fuzzy inside? Are you a fan of classic “muscle” cars? A google image search can dig up thousands of pictures that you can use to create a scrapbook.  I usually print them off while I’m at work.

Part of the path to happiness is in making the decision to be happy. Your scrapbook is a tool that you can use to lift your spirits and remind you of the good things in life.

Will a scrapbook make the troubles of the world go away and bring instant happiness? Probably not, but it will take your mind off of some of the doom and gloom for a few minutes. Who knows, your smile and happiness might even last for a few hours (or all day!) if you let it.

Have you ever heard the riddle “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”?  This concept applies to many different things in life, including happiness. You might not be able to become a glowing beacon of happiness overnight, but you can create a smile or a laugh and take on your challenges “one smile at a time”.

While looking for things to smile about is important, so is learning how to handle life’s stressors. Your personal situation may be stressful, but there’s no reason to take on the stress of the entire planet. One of the best ways to reduce stress in your life is to get a little less news from TV, the internet and newspapers.

It seems like most of today’s news is bad news; from death and destruction to murder, mayhem and disaster.  The reason for this is that bad news sells, but we’ll save that conversation for another day.  For now, the point is that reading the news in the morning is a terrible way to start each day. Try giving up the news for a week, or at least postpone it until later in the day.

Does the news make you angry or sick to your stomach at times? If it does, then why would you want to watch it before, during or after dinner? There must be a better time to check the day’s news than right after you wake up or while you’re eating a healthy meal. I find it ironic that the broadcasts are scheduled during the most important times of the day.

This blog entry aims to get you to think about where you can find sources of happiness and how you can avoid doom and gloom.

Make a conscious effort to smile a little more.  Start today.  While you’re at it, try your best to avoid some of the negative people, situations and news that causes you to be stressed and depressed.

Staying happy during an economic recession does take more effort than in better times, but it is still possible if you are willing to work for it.