Can you become happy when you are caught in an irritating or bad event? Say, you are stuck in a traffic jam. Or there comes an unexpected heavy rain in the morning when you were about to leave for a sightseeing trip. Or your friend who promised to come does not arrive. And the wait seems indefinite. It could be that a close friend of you suddenly turns against you.
Well there are innumerable such circumstances. Can we make ourselves calm and peaceful or make ourselves happy in these circumstances? It is not an easy. It is an art, the art of reframing.
Suppose one has to change school or college and go to different institutions almost every year as his dad gets transfers often. Being a lucrative job he cannot leave it too. He becomes a new boy in the class with no friend and he is totally n a new environment and even his accent could be different too. Many could be teasing him because of the unfamiliar accent. By the time he adjusts and has managed to have a few friends, there comes another transfer!
There are a number of good things about frequent change of places. You get to know how to deal with strangers and how to make friends with totally new guys. How to get adjusted with the new environments and all these will give a lot of mileage in you life. Your EQ gets developed and it will help you succeed in later years.
Well, everything has a positive side. Even death has. Suppose someone close to you died of old age. You would become aware of your mortality and get unconsciously prepared for the eventual death. It makes you less afraid to face it. If someone dies of accident, it teaches a number of things: to be careful when you drive, not to be drunk and not to drive without adequate sleep the previous night and so on.
But simple reframing can help you to do away with a lot of tension and stress. If you mare caught in a traffic snarl, you will be late for the appointment or for work. You will fret and fume. But is there any use getting irritated? You can relax and listen to the car radio or enjoy in oblivion you favorite music/tape. You can simply plan the days ahead or think about how you will overcome a pressing problem. Or, simply sit watching the clouds slowly gliding on or or see the swaying tree tops. Of course you can amuse yourself at the mannerisms or irritations of the other drivers. You see you can simply enjoy this forced free time.
If a n unexpected rain spoils your planned holiday, look for things to be done at home that you have been thinking for a long time. Simply relax, read a favorite book, make calls to your friends you have not been in touch with for long or catch up on some sleep.
If a promised friend dos not turn up? There could have been something unexpected holding him/her back. If he/she is intentionally not coming, well, you cannot do anything about it now. May be it is for the better. You will not miss someone who does not keep a promise. He/ she will not be reliable. But in the initial moments there will be some tension. You may also feel sorry for yourself or angry with the other person.
If some one ditches you? It is an opportunity for a whole new start. You get the freedom for a personal makeover. Get your career some extra attention. Take up a sport or hobby. There is nothing totally bad. There is a bright side for everything. Make timely switch over and become happy.