Sunny Sunday #1: A Look at Positivity

Hello readers, this is Crysis Commander. As some of you may know, I returned from a bit of an unplanned hiatus. Why I was gone is not important, but what is important is why I’m here once again. Bronies, the community and its members have helped me tremendously in the past several years, and now it’s my turn to give back in a way that might help others.

Looking to the title of this post, you may ask its purpose. This is an experiment, of sorts. As someone who struggles with depression, it can be hard to pick through the rough to find the diamonds in everyday life. Even when all goes well, there’s always something that can be better, and therefore nothing is good. This and other such mindsets can go beyond mere pessimism. For many - even for those without mental illness - they can become ingrained, hammered in so heavily that it influences the perception of reality.

That is where Sunny Sunday comes in. The goal of this experiment is to provide viewers a look into how negativity can both consciously and unconsciously affect us and how life can seem to turn around with a simple shift to the frame of mind. This will also serve as a generally good-natured post. After all, everyone needs at least one positive force in their day!

Let’s get started, shall we?

With it still being the holidays where I am, the first post in this series will be kept brief and to the point. I won’t go into the psychology of happiness or how emotions are simply our reaction to various stimuli and are neither right nor wrong, influenced by our upbringing and our own morality. There’s no Psych degree in my closet. Instead, the point of today’s post will be to establish one of the key factors to happiness.

It’s a choice.

Not everyone will agree with that statement, and that’s okay. You don’t need to. When the negatives of the world make far more noise than the positives, it can be easy to condition yourself that happiness is nothing more than the fleeting break between miseries. How does someone live life with this mindset?

Where does your sadness and hopelessness take you? Does it help you or hinder you? If it is a hindrance, then would it not make sense to try and change the situation?

Ah, but what if I can’t change the situation, you may ask. The death of a family member, for example. How can someone feel happy after a family member passes away? While it is natural in the human condition to feel sadness after such a large loss, but the catch comes with what you do as a result.

It’s all in mindset, dear friends.

Next Sunday I will go a bit more in depth on how choosing happiness is a learned skill and how you ca go about it in your everyday life. Any feedback on how I can improve this series is appreciated, and I hope to see you all next time.

Sincerely,
Crysis Commander

Art by 1trick