Mental Health

Choosing Happiness

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.

My Daily Musings-September 22nd, 2026

I listened to an episode of the Like a Rock podcast recently. The host, Connor Checketts was talking to the guest, Grace Freeman. Connor said that Grace always seems happy even when things are hard. Grace said that some people have told her before that when they saw her happy all the time, they figured her life must be easy. She said that she has hard trials in her life, like everyone else. But she said that we can choose to be happy.

I have always believed this. But it’s easier said than done. I had a friend tell me many years ago that I always seemed to have a content look on my face. We don’t really know what is going on in other people’s lives. We all have our trials; no one is immune to hardships in this life. So we may think that happy people don’t have trials. But I’m sure they do; they choose to be happy in the midst of their trials. I like this saying, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”

I try to stay positive about my life but it’s definitely difficult on my harder health days. I just hold on to hope that tomorrow will be better than today. That brings me hope for today as well.

Have you ever been surprised to learn that someone who seemed happy was going through a difficult trial? What helps you choose happiness or hold on to hope when life is difficult?

A Small, Faithful Choice

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.

My Daily Musings-September 6th, 2026

“Joy is not always something that finds us. Sometimes it is a small, faithful choice we make again today.”

I believe that this is true. Some days it is easier to feel joy in my soul than other days. On my harder health days, I really have to choose joy instead of letting discouraging and negative thoughts invade and take over my mind. When I feel darkness and discouragement start to slowly creep into my thoughts, I have to choose not to let those thoughts stay for very long. I always feel better in my soul when I have joy and I am grateful for my blessings. Yes, it’s harder on some days to have those joyful and grateful feelings. But it’s always worth it to turn my thoughts and emotions from negative ones to positive ones.

I realize that it is harder for some people to let those negative and discouraging thoughts go than it is for other people. I have had times in my life when I was depressed and I didn’t know if I could get out of the darkness in my soul very easily. So, I do sympathize with those who struggle with bad anxiety and depression.

I go back to what my therapist told me a while back. She said that it is okay to go through all of the emotions we feel, even the discouraging and negative ones. But we should think of those feelings as water washing over us like when we are in the shower. We can sit with them for a little while. But then we should let them wash down the drain so they won’t clog the drain or weigh down our thoughts and feelings.

It helps me to talk about my feelings with someone who understands how I feel, especially on my harder health days. So, reach out to those who understand how you feel. We are here on this earth to help one another through our difficult times. We need each other. We can learn from the faith of others who have gone through hard experiences.

What helps you choose joy on the days when joy doesn’t come easily? How do you remind yourself of your blessings when you’re going through a difficult time?

Choosing to Seek the Good

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.

My Daily Musings-August 31st, 2026

“Happiness isn’t that hard to find, you know. It’s everywhere. It’s all around us. But it’s not something that happens to us. It’s something we seek. It’s something we pursue.” From The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley by Courtney Walsh.

I really like this quote from that book. I firmly believe that if we look for the negatives in our lives then we will find them. The opposite is also true: that if we look for the positives in our lives then we will find them. We will find what we seek. If we spend our time discouraged and depressed about our lives all the time, then we won’t feel much hope to get out of those feelings.

If we have a good attitude and are happy about our lives, then we will find more happiness in others and in the world around us. We will be more grateful for the blessings we have in our lives, and those things will help us be happy.

I used to believe that people around me could make me upset or happy. I have realized over the last few years that, while I can’t control everything that happens around me, I can choose how I respond to it. If I create a happy and grateful life, then I will be happy and feel grateful for my blessings.

I realize that not every day is an easy day. I have days when I get in a bad mood or when my blessings seem far away. But when those days happen, I try to get myself out of my bad mood as soon as I can. I prefer to be happy and grateful for my blessings. I think most of us are like that.

What do you find yourself looking for most in your life: the negatives or the positives? What is one thing you can do today to seek happiness and gratitude?

Gratitude For the Journey

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.

My Daily Musings-June 11th, 2026

Shakespeare once said, “I cried when I had no shoes, but I stopped crying when I saw a man without legs. Life is full of blessings, sometimes we don’t value it.”

This quote reminds me that there is always someone facing challenges I may not see. When I recognize the hardships of others, it helps me become more grateful for the blessings in my own life.

At the same time, I have learned that we shouldn’t dismiss our own struggles. Every person carries different burdens, and the trials we face can feel heavy because we live with them every day. Comparing suffering rarely helps. Instead, perhaps we can choose both gratitude for our blessings and compassion for ourselves and others.

What blessings might you be overlooking today? And how can you show yourself the same kindness and understanding that you would offer to someone else facing a difficult trial?

Don’t Clog the Drain

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.

My Daily Musings-June 4th, 2026

I was talking with my therapist yesterday about emotions, and something she said really resonated with me.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve learned that feeling all emotions—even discouraging, painful, and depressing ones—is okay. Emotions are part of being human. Ignoring them or pretending they aren’t there doesn’t make them disappear.

But I’ve also learned that while we should acknowledge those difficult emotions, we shouldn’t allow them to take up permanent residence in our minds and hearts.

My therapist compared emotions to taking a shower. We let the water wash over us, just as we allow ourselves to feel our emotions and bring them to the surface. But we don’t want the drain to become clogged. The water is meant to flow through and continue on its way.

What if we treated our difficult emotions the same way? What if we allowed ourselves to feel them without letting them become stuck? What emotions might you need to acknowledge today and then gently let go?

Difficult emotions will come and go throughout life. The goal isn’t to avoid them altogether. The goal is to let them move through us rather than letting them define us.