peter_james_bond wrote: 
Exercise, fresh air, sunshine. Good food - something delicious and good for you. Time with good friends - not just people who make you smile, but people who can kick your ass to get you back into gear. If necessary and appropriate, antidepressants. (Don't knock them. They're not a cure-all, and they're not for everyone, but you wouldn't fight a congenital heart condition with positive thinking alone - your brain is just another organ, and it can go wrong.)

Ride a tortoise to work. Carve someone else's initials into an old log. Emulate a can of peanut butter for an hour. Ship yourself to the house next door. Hold a press conference in your pajamas. Play Monopoly by yourself and don't cheat. Kiss the most attractive person who will let you. Rock out with the loudest, most mindlessly raucous music you can find. Shake yourself up, because you don't get out of a rut by driving straight ahead.

Good luck!

 cc_rider wrote: 

has to do with cognitive behavior changes. i agree with this and kopak's post. it helps. i need to remember it more often.

 peter_james_bond wrote: 
There is a thing that I learned from women who were dealing with breast cancer.  It's documented as a very effective aid in their treatment, and women have reported amazing physical response.

I think of it as a Secret Weapon To Well Being.  If I ever really needed it, I could do it.

Here's how it works. 

Only surround yourself with uplifting messages.  

- ZERO TV.  

- Only watch happy movies that make you smile and laugh.  Go ahead and boldly watch cheerful cheesy movies..  they won't seem cheesy in no time.

- Do not be with anyone who makes you feel negative.  If you know people who are cheerful, or make you feel cheerful, find ways to hang out with them.  If your normally cheerful person is having a hard time, don't stay too long, and then balance yourself out with doses of happy things.  (This is a short-term strategy... because you will need to be there for friends when they're blue sometimes... when you're stronger).

- Stay away from anything negative on the internet.  This is not easy.  You may need to stay away completely.

- Ready simple cheerful books.  You might like some of the Young Adult options, or even Christian series books.  It may seem like blather at first, but it gets better.

- Get out in nature.  Surround yourself with art and beauty.  

Let me know if you can do it and if it works for you! 

Optimism is an attitude. No one can make you have a bad or good attitude. You decide every day what your attitude will be. And the helping kids thing really works for me. That's why I coach.

 peter_james_bond wrote: 
There is a book called 'Feeling Good' by David Burns. It is worth reading: it shows some ways to look at your feelings differently. It's not intended to replace medicine to correct chemical imbalances, but it can help people with, say, depression, see things in a different light.

Keep us posted brother...

 peter_james_bond wrote:
Go do something with kids. Always works for me.

I know this is going to sound odd but I don't care. I don't need a pill to get high, but I would love a drug, herb, method etc that would make me feel more optimistic. Optimism breeds confidence, which breeds motion, which breeds action, which leads to things getting done. Is there anything out there??? Is it possible to create optimism? Do you have a way to generate optimism? Please share your knowledge.