Find Happiness in Small Things

by Maria G.
(Corpus Christi, TX)

I've gone through several periods of depression in my life. Some time ago as a young teenager, and once again recently as a mother of two. Both times it was very difficult to find my way out of the clouds, and be happy once again. There were many things that I did and many things that I realized that helped me feel happy again.

I realized how fortunate I was to have the love and support of my family and true friends, and that I could always turn to them for help and guidance. Not everybody has a loving family available to them. I try to remind myself of this often, and be very thankful for that.

I've always tried to keep active when I'm feeling down. It's really hard to do sometimes, especially when you are depressed because you don't feel like doing anything, so you really have to push yourself to just get out of bed in the morning. But once you do get going, and get out doors, and work up a sweat, it really helps you to feel better and lift your mood.

Another thing I've done is to try to express my feelings and work through them through art and poetry. Even when I don't have an audience, or anyone to show my drawings to, it helps to just get those feelings out and on paper. It helps me to realize what is really going on, so I can work through it better.

Plus, the process itself just makes me feel happy. When a situation gets me down, I work hard to find the silver lining. Sometimes it's a very, very thin silver lining, but I’m convinced that when you look hard enough, it's there!

I try to find happiness in the small things in life. A beautiful flower, a rainbow, a hug or kiss from either of my two kids. It's these little things that get me through a rough a day, and remind me to be happy and thankful for what I have.