This is not a post-election commentary. I’m happiest that it’s over and am actually holding out hope that all of the elected officials commit to working together to solve issues instead of putting out roadblocks, obstacles and gridlock. Okay, maybe it’s a teeny bit of commentary to lead into my main musings for today.
A couple of months ago, I reached my saturation point on the nastiness spewing out of my television set and on my Facebook page. I got fairly good at tuning out the tv campaign ads. It was harder to skip posts by friends and acquaintances. It got so bad that I finally made the decision to unsubscribe from the people who posted one vicious, negative thing after another. I didn’t “defriend” them; I just adjusted the settings so I didn’t see their posts. Maybe by doing so I missed out on other fun stuff, but in the long run, this was a wise choice. I was much happier.
Today there appears to be even more nastiness making the rounds. I unsubscribed a few more people. Taking this action felt a lot to me like I was helping out my own happiness.
It strikes me that we don’t protect our happiness often enough. This doesn’t mean being selfish, grabbing our happiness at the expense of others. I think there is plenty to go around. I also believe that happy begets more happy, so by protecting ourselves to foster joy, we actually till the ground to grow more.
With this in mind, I’m going to be alert for additional things that I can do to help out my happy. It might mean making time to catch up with a friend on the phone, or shutting off the tv and taking a relaxing bath. On days when I have a lot of errands to run or other responsibilities, I can make sure to schedule in “me” time and indulge in something that makes me smile — like sitting on the porch hugging my dogs for a few minutes or going for a walk. One of the local florists sells a $5.00 weekly special bouquet. It’s always a gorgeous mix of flowers. That’s a great happy-boost.
Just like I already know to guard myself from getting too hungry, angry, lonely, tired or stressed (H.A.L.T.S.) in order to avoide compulsive or distructive eating, protecting and nurturing my happiness caids my daily recovery. Setting boundaries for how much icky crap infiltrates my life qualifies. I support everyone’s right to their opinion and political views. I also support my right to ignore it when negatively expressed.
What can you do to help out your happy?
Weighty Matters 
I can pay more attention to those moments that make me happy. I can actively seek out those things, situations, and activities that make me happy and enjoy them. I can do more than sit on the couch and surf the Interwebz.
That said, good for you. I simply avoided FB altogether. And most TV. I guess I’ll try dipping my toes back into FB and see what is being said amongst my friends. I think I’ll hang out with the Betties: aren’t they supposed to be politics-free?