If Symptoms Persist...
By DR. JOSE S. PUJALTE JR.
February 25, 2012, 11:35pm
“No man is happy who does not think himself so.” — PubliliusSyrus (42 B.C.), Roman writer Maxim 584
MANILA, Philippines — I find that I am happiest when work is
challenging but ultimately surmountable. In fact, my personal motto is
in laboresquiesor “in work, peace of mind.” “Work” of course must be
qualified because what if you’re a drug dealer and you are happiest
when you sell crack? Or what if you’re the rider in motorcyle tandem
snatching, and you are happiest when you’re grabbing an old woman’s
bag?
Today, let’s talk about being happy. I am not a motivational
speaker, a priest, or a pastor – they may all be in better positions to
talk about happiness. But doctors, especially the happy ones (!), have
their ten cents’ worth. Insights are bound to form facing death and
disease day in and day out.
5 Ways to be Happy.1. Put all your money in dollar accounts. Ooops! That’s another article.MayoClinic.com is quite specific in the ways to cultivate
happiness. Not that happiness is a science, but it turns out that it’s
one’s personality – one’s thoughts and behavior that determine much of
happiness. It has little to do in being born rich or handsome or
beautiful (but that helps).
1. Invest in relationships. To us Filipinos, this is a
no-brainer because it is natural for us to devote time to family and
friends. We treat old relatives with respect and give them senior roles
as sages or arbiters in family disputes. We don’t park them in nursing
homes. Our families are so extended that balikbayan boxes may truly be
a Filipino invention.
2. Express gratitude. This may sound mushy but it takes
commitment to be grateful. It takes practice to be appreciative of what
we do, what we are, what we have, and who we are sharing our life with.
Most of the time, we only get to appreciate the value of a person when
he or she is gone. And yes, we only appreciate health when we are sick.
3. Be optimistic. An optimist has been described as someone who
digs in a roomful of horse dung looking for a pony. A pessimist looks
at new toys and worries when they will break. Get away from negative
thoughts but should there be a crisis, the questions to ask are: Is the
situation as bad as I think it is? Is there another way to look at this
problem? What can I learn from this?
4. Find purpose. The Mayo Clinic article on cultivating contentment
lists three other questions in determining the mission (in life): What
excites or energizes you? What are your proudest achievements? And How
do you want others to remember you? For me, I started at the end and
wrote my own eulogy (though I keep revising it). There’s nothing morbid
about this because we will all die someday. This exercise will demand
of you to see the big picture in your life and decide what really
matters and what does not. It must be a wasted life indeed if your
epitaph reads, “Here lies _______ who did nothing.”
5. Live now. Love today. Stop worrying about the past. You can never
go back. You can only re-interpret it. Don’t postpone study, vacation,
forgiveness, laughter, and sex. And chocolate. You may be dead tomorrow
so be happy today.
Dr. Pujalte is an orthopaedic surgeon and always looks for ponies in roomfuls of horse shit. E-mail jspujalte@yahoo.com
No comments:
Post a Comment