Be a better You: An alternative to Zoloft

January 15, 2:33 AMLA Social ExaminerShannon Marie

Previous

10 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the LA Social Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Which one would YOU approach?

Do one thing everyday that scares you. 

Such a marvelous piece of advice in Mary Schmich's essay, "Advice, Like Youth, Probably Just Wasted On The Young."  This little challenge, along with a comprehensive list of other To-Do's, appeared in her 1997 column in the Chicago Tribune.  It was later made popular by Baz Luhrmann in his 1999 single, Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen).

If there was ever a checklist one could follow on "Being a Better You," I'd say that this one took the cake.  Living in Los Angeles can diminish a small, yet valuable, sense of peace within oneself.  This lost sense of peace is especially common (or so I've heard or witnessed) in those who fly the coop and leave their comfort zone to live the dream in LaLaLand.

In a town of literally millions, a large percentage of people still find themselves feeling alone.  Their jaded spirit hinders their glow... the very glow that people gravitate towards.  It's no wonder why many feel the difficulty in going out there and meeting new people.  You might have lived here all your life and you feel like you're just coasting through, on the cards you have been dealt. Or you might be a transplant who is just over it.  I too, have my days.  If I had a natural cure-all for this despondency, I'd be putting it on shelves.  Remember, Lexapro and Zoloft aren't good for you.

A better You is a happy You.  A happy You is a positive You.  And a positive You is a shiny magnet, attracting other positive Yous out there. 

Hype yourself up before you get out there and face the world.  Vibrate on a healthy energy level, and the charm comes naturally. 

Adopt the following from Advice, Like Youth:

1.  Remember compliments you receive.

2.  Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

3.  Don't waste your time on jealousy.

4.  Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth.

5.  Sing.

6.  Stretch.

7.  Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old.

...And of course...

8.  Do one thing everyday that scares you.

Follow this like a daily ritual.  Your glow will be spotted from a mile away, and you'll start to notice how much more approachable you are... Or even better, how much easier it may be to approach others.  It's a confidence and energy builder.