FROM BLUES TO SMILES TO JOY - Father Alan Phillip CP

228 Pages·2011·3.75 MB·English

FROM BLUES TO SMILES TO JOY

FROM BLUES TO SMILES TO JOY
How to Have a Great Day Every Day
Alan Phillip, C.P.
Passionist Community Press
Sierra Madre, California
with Spirit of Hope Publishing
Irvine, California
FROM BLUES TO SMILES TO JOY: How to Have a Great Day Every Day
Copyright © 2011, Alan Phillip, C.P.
Published by Passionist Community Press
with Spirit of Hope Publishing
International Standard Book Number: 978-1-929753-37-6
Printed in the United States of America
Written by Alan Phillip
Edited by Jerry Seiden
Cover Photos by Alan Phillip
Inside Photos by Alan Phillip
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission, except for brief
quotations in critical reviews or articles.
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible with Revised New
Testament and Revised Psalms ©1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine,
Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved.
No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in
writing from the copyright owner.
NOTE: This book is designed to provide information on the subject matter covered. It is
provided with the understanding that the publisher and author are not engaged in rendering
individualized professional services. If medical advice or other expert assistance is required,
the services of a competent professional should be sought. The checklists in this book are
not designed to substitute for professional evaluations or psychotherapy.
The anecdotal illustrations and personal stories in this book are composites of real situations
or personal recollections in which facts may have been altered, liberties taken, and/or names
changed to protect the privacy of certain individuals.
For information or permission contact:
Spirit of Hope Publishing
PO Box 53642
Irvine, CA 92619-3642
Phone: [phone]
Email: [email protected]
Web: http://www.SpiritofHopePublishing.com
Dedication
T
o Fr. Thomas More Newbold, C.P.
My mentor for many years.
I owe him much.
Acknowledgements
I
want to thank Mr. Glen Golden, Mrs. Nancy McKenna,
and Fr. Peter Berendt, C.P., for carefully proof-reading the
manuscript and offering their corrections and suggestions. I
also want to thank Mr. Jerry Seiden of Spirit of Hope
Publishing for mentoring me through this book project and
skillfully improving the text and layout.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER TITLE PAGE
Introduction 9
1 Coping with the Blues 14
2 Accept Reality 22
3 Take Charge of Your Thoughts 31
4 Talk to Someone 40
5 Listen 45
6 Manage Anger 51
7 Conquer Fear 58
8 Know Your Inner Truth 67
9 Learn from Life 77
10 Deal with Criticism 83
11 Handle Grief 91
12 Forgive & Be Forgiven 97
13 Commit Yourself 104
14 Use Your Head 110
15 Nourish Your Soul 117
16 Ah! The Turning Point 123
17 Go to Work 127
18 Laugh 134
19 Have a Dream 141
20 What About Money? 147
Table of Contents Page 7
CHAPTER TITLE PAGE
21 Be Grateful 153
22 Be a Friend 159
23 Take Control 165
24 Play 170
25 Understand Suffering 174
26 Use Your Power 178
27 Love the Earth 183
28 Know Jesus 189
29 Celebrate Easter 194
30 Journey Together 197
BACKMATTER
Endnotes 202
Checklist 223
About the Author 226
Order Form 227
Page 8 FROM BLUES TO SMILES TO JOY: How to Have a Great Day Every Day
Become a possibilitarian.
No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are,
raise your sights and see possibilities—
always see them for they’re always there.
—Norman Vincent Peale
Introduction
I

t’s Monday. You sit, stare out the window and watch the
drizzling rain. A frown fixes itself on your face as you go
through a bout of melancholy. You munch on a piece of
chocolate, but it doesn’t help.
It’s Saturday night and you don’t have a date. Another
lonely evening looms ahead. You go through a few rounds
of self-doubt and the blues. You reach for the phone and
call a friend. No answer.
It’s late at night and you can’t sleep. You don’t know
exactly why but you are crying.
You start counting sheep. The sheep fall asleep, but you
don’t. You start wondering if anyone really cares.
Do rainy days and Mondays get you down? Do the blues
and the blahs come calling more often now than before? Is
there an underlying sadness in your life, even though most
things are going well? Are there days when you have no
motivation and just want to stay in bed until noon? Are you
dejected, forlorn, glum, pessimistic, and in an emotional
recession? Do you wish you felt happier and more energetic?
Then this book is for you. This book addresses the common
human experience of feeling “down in the dumps,” or what
I call “mild temporary depression.” The ideas and
suggestions in this book are meant to help you get through
the gloom and feel better tomorrow.
I am a Catholic priest. In forty-five years of ministry I
have worked with people suffering from all types of
depression. This book puts into practical format many of
the common sense things that I have learned. Although I
recommend that you read the book from beginning to end,
on any given day you may want to check the Table of
Page 10 FROM BLUES TO SMILES TO JOY: How to Have a Great Day Every Day
Contents and read a chapter that you think tackles a root
cause of your feelings. The Check List at the end of the
book serves as a handy reminder of suggested actions to
take.
Feelings of depression can stem from hundreds of
sources. This book will discuss a number of the more
common psychological, emotional, and spiritual causes.
First, consider the following important questions:
•
Is your depression heavy and constant?
•
Do you wrestle with despair?
•
Do you have feelings of worthlessness and
thoughts of suicide?
•
Have you had a string of sleepless nights or do
you sleep too much?
•
Have you had long crying spells?
•
Is it difficult to concentrate or make decisions?
•
Do you blame yourself and feel that the negative
events around you are all your fault?
•
Do you have severe headaches, chronic fatigue,
poor appetite, or panic?
A yes to half or more the questions above may indicate a
“clinical depression.” This is beyond the scope of this book.
It is estimated that twelve million Americans are afflicted
with serious depression. The following link has more on
clinical depression and an online test: http://
psych.med.nyu.edu/patient-care/depression-screening-test.
Please note that this is only a preliminary screening test for
depressive symptoms. It does not replace a formal psychiatric
evaluation.
Another helpful resource is the International Foundation
for Depressive Illnesses. See: www.ifred.org.