Words are powerful. They can affect a person’s mood, attitude, and outlook on life. If we are constantly being barraged by words that belittle us- most of the time these come out of our own mind – then we are going to go around viewing everything from a negative point of view. This can become a very difficult habit to stop.

The best thing we can do to shift from a negative point of view is to be mindful of the words we use. One way to do this is to build up a positive word bank. The way I like to do this is to think of a word that goes with each letter of the alphabet, and explain why the word makes me positively happy.

 

Feel free to use anything you see on this list on your blog – or even create your own list of positive words.

Mental Health – a group on Facebook – is who inspired me to create this list.

A

Acceptance – It makes me positively happy when people accept me for who I am, limitations, weaknesses, strengths and all.

Awake – This word makes me feel positively happy because I am awake. I was checked out from the world during the years that my Major Depression was at its worst. I basically slept walked my way through life. I was not mentally awake enough to be aware of what was going on around me. Once my depression symptoms began to subside – due in part to the Effexor I was taking – I still spent a great deal of my time sleeping, or thinking about sleeping. The Effexor was causing my diabetes to be out of control, and the high blood glucose that I was living with caused me to feel sleepy all of the time. I am on a different depression medication now, and I can make it through most days without a nap. I am awake and aware.

Alive – This word makes me feel positively happy because I am alive. After spending so much time wanting to die, and trying to kill myself, I have reached a point where I am happy, and thankful to be alive. The other reason this makes me feel positively happy is that my dad is alive. He gave me quite the scare this week with some heart trouble he currently is in the hospital for.

Shortly after I wrote this word, and why it made me feel happy my father passed away.

B

Brave – it makes me feel positively happy when I think about how brave I have been since beginning depression treatment. I have had to open myself up to a stranger – my counselor – do things that make me feel uncomfortable to overcome my anxiety, and make difficult decisions to protect my mental health. I am braver than I ever gave myself credit for.

Beauty – This word makes me feel positively happy because there is so much beauty in the world. I knew there were beautiful things, but I did not realize how much beauty I am surrounded by until a few months ago. I find beauty not just in the things made by man, but in so much of what God has made. Even people are beautiful. It is a shame that it took me so long to see so much beauty, but I find it wonderful that I do now.

Baby – This word makes me feel positively happy because I love spending time with my grandbaby.  She is the cutest little thing, and loves to cuddle. She is only a month old, but seems to have a rather distinct personality already.

C

Caring – This word makes me feel positively happy because it reminds me of how many people I have in my life that really do care about me. There was a time in my life – not too long ago – when I believed that no one cared about me. I am so happy that I was wrong. The people that really do care about me do so no matter what my circumstances are. They do not resent my mental health, and physical health issues. They build me up!

Comfortable – This word makes me feel positively happy because because I am comfortable. For the first time that I can remember, I am comfortable with who I am. I am also comfortable where I am living, and I am almost comfortable with the thoughts in my head. Being comfortable does not mean that I will just stay in this comfortable place without pushing my “comfort zone”. Basically, it means that I like myself – faults and all.

Capable – This word makes me feel positively happy because I am capable. Despite how I have felt about myself, and despite what other people might think, I am capable of many things.

D

Different – This word makes me feel positively happy because I have learned that life CAN be DIFFERENT. I do not have to live a life in which I hate myself, want to die, and am so depressed that I cannot get dressed. I do not have to spend my days crying, full of anger, and worry.  I am entitled to live as full of a life as I can – just like everyone else. My life is DIFFERENT now. Even through the tough times, I enjoy life. I can see that there are so many wonderful, and beautiful things in my life, and in the world around me. On the hard days, I have tools and support – that I never believed existed – to help me make different choices. Different is GOOD!

Determined – This word makes me feel positively happy because I AM DETERMINED. I am determined to keep myself as mentally healthy as I can. I am determined to live a more positive life than I have in the past. I am determined to treat myself with respect, and expect other people to do the same. I am determined to make better choices, and decisions. I AM DETERMINED.

Discover – This word makes me feel positively happy because I have a lot of good things to discover about myself. and the people in my life. Even before my depression became severe I did not spend much time learning about myself or other people. I had no interest in discovering what interests, concerns, or fears other people had. Knowing those things would have allowed me to develop deeper, and closer relationships. Taking the time to discover things about myself was something I could not manage. If I took the time to do that, then I would actually see some of my character flaws. I was not prepared to do that. Things are different now. I want to discover all I can about myself, and work to implement positive changes. I want to discover all I can about the people in my life, so that I can have deeper, and more meaningful relationships.

E

Encouragement – This word makes me feel positively happy because encouragement is all about building someone – or yourself – up. It is something we do to support each other. When someone takes the time to provide you with encouragement, it usually means on some level they care about you, and knowing that people care about you is bound to make anyone feel positively happy.

Eager – This word makes me feel positively happy because I am eager, and excited to see – and experience – all the things that life has to offer me. I used to be so scared of what was going to “happen next”. I knew whatever it was, it would be bad. Because I was always looking for something bad to happen, it usually did. I think my negative thinking clouded my ability to accurately perceive what was really going on, and no matter what the situation was, I could only see the negative in it. At this time in my life, I am no longer peeking around corners – waiting for the next bad thing to happen. I am eagerly anticipating all the good things that are in my future.

Experienced – This word makes me feel positively happy because I have experienced many hard – really hard – things, and I am still here. I know the knowledge I have gained from those experiences will help me when I have to face hard things in the future.

F

Friend-This word makes me feel positively happy because I have a friend! In fact I have several friends. I was never a person who made friends easily, and I lost what few friends I had during my years of severe depression. In the last year and a half I have relearned social skills, and gained a few new ones. As a result, I have slowly built up a network of friends that I value a great deal.

Fun – This word makes me feel positively happy because I have discovered that life is fun – even when things are going awry – if you can keep a positive outlook. There are those random – but amusing – moments that cause me to laugh. There is fun found in spending time with family. Having a meal with family and/or friends can be full of laughter, jokes, and fun. I have fun sitting, and staring at my fish. Having fun when times are hard helps ease my pain, and stress. Fun makes life easier.

Future – This word makes me feel positively happy because I do have a future. For a long time, I did not even want a future. I was so sad, angry, and in pain that I could not see living that way. When I did think about the type of future that was in store for me, the picture that came to mind was a very bleak one. I am not sure what the future holds for me now, but I am excited about it.

G

Grateful – This word makes me feel positively happy because I have discovered that I have many things to be grateful for. For so long my life was miserable, and I could see nothing good about it. When I began therapy, my counselor gave me a home work assignment that entailed me finding at least three good things about every situation. Part of what I discovered while doing this exercise is that many of the positive/good things in my life, are things that I am grateful for.

Grown – This word makes me feel positively happy because I can see how much I have grown, and changed over the last few years. It is not just that I have learned how to manage my mental health better, it also has to do with the fact that I am much happier than I have been in many, many years. I look at my old self – remembering how negative, and pessimistic I used to be – and I feel so sad for that person. She was someone who did not value herself, and did not believe she had the right to happiness. I am glad I can recognize who I used to be. It makes me really appreciate how I have grown.

Gentle – This word makes me feel positively happy because I have friends, and family who know when I need to be treated in a gentle manner, and they do. There are some days when I feel as if I am emotionally on the edge, and feel as if I am close to a break down. These are the days when I need gentleness from the people in my life. The fact that they can identify those days, and treat me gently on those days makes me happy because it means I have people in my life who care about me.

H

Hope – This word makes me feel positively happy, because having hope – in the face of difficulties – is life altering. I have been hopeless. It is a very lonely, and sad experience. It is also very scary. For me, having no hope means that there is nothing good, positive, wonderful, and peaceful about life. Once I began to have hope, everything – and I mean everything – began to change. Life was no longer a burden to bear. I was no longer half way between death and life. Hope has added flavor, and zest to my life.

Healthy – This word makes me feel positively happy because my physical, and mental health has drastically improved. Being healthy is something I used to take for granted. When my health began to decline – including my mental health – I gave up on life. With the help of awesome doctors, an awesome medical support system, and an awesome personal support system my overall health is improving by leaps, and bounds. I no longer take being healthy for granted – I have to be an active participant in my own health care.  Being healthier has opened a world of new possibilities for me. I think that is pretty AWESOME!

Honest – I cannot say this word makes me feel positively happy all the time. However, it does give me a sense of pride when I think about it – which I think is positive. I have learned to be honest with other people, and myself – even when being honest is difficult, and sometimes hurts.

I

Interested – This word makes me feel positively happy because I enjoy being interested in the world around me. Checked out, there but not there, nobody is home, are just a few phrases that could be applied to my state of being during the time before I began depression treatment. I was not all that interested in what was going on, or who was involved in it. I tried to be, especially when my daughter was talking to me. More often than not, my mind would simply wander off while I was listening to her. Same thing would happen when I tried to read, listen to music, and even watch TV. Being interested in what is going on in the world, and my family makes my life more full, and interesting. Being interested makes me an active participant in life.

Imagine – This word makes me feel positively happy because the things I imagine now – for myself and my life – are positive, and full of beauty. I no longer have the habit of imagining a life full of pain, and bad things. I imagine myself having a full life – containing joy, and laughter.

Incredible – This word makes me positively happy because so many incredible things have happened to me, and for me since I began depression treatment. I have gone from hopeless to hopeful, joyless to joyful, fearful to somewhat fearless. I never thought I would be the person I am now. The amount of change, and growth I have experienced is Incredible.

J

Joy – This word makes me positively happy, because represents a state if contentment. It is not a fleeting emotion – like happiness – that goes away when you have a bad day, it is something that stays with you no matter what your circumstances are.

Journey – This word makes me positively happy, because my life has been, and will continue to be a journey. On my journey, I have gone from an angry child, to a rebellious teen. From a sad, and lonely adult, to a wonderful, woman who enjoys life, laughter, and love.

Joke – This word makes me positively happy because I know how to play jokes on people now. Even better than knowing how to play jokes on people, is how much they seem to enjoy them.

K

Kindness – This word makes me feel positively happy because it reminds me that there are some wonderfully, kind people in the world. They are supportive, caring, and generally want to see the people in their lives happy.

Knowledge – This word makes me positively happy because I realize the more knowledge I have the more power I have. I have power over my Major Depression, I have power over my diabetes, I have power over my asthma. I learn as much as I can – and keep learning – about each one of these diseases, and how to treat/manage them. I gain knowledge from other people’s experiences, and life stories. I gain knowledge from books, and the internet. I gain knowledge from my doctors. I gain knowledge by paying attention to what treatments, medications, and support systems work for me.

Kudos – This word makes me feel positively happy because it feels good when I receive praise/kudos from other people. It also gives me a great deal of joy when I can do the same for other people. Praise/Kudos are just one way I can build someone up, and it feels good to everyone.

L

Love – This word makes me feel positively happy because it makes me think about God’s love for me. God loved me when I was angry with him, when I disappointed him, even when I turned my back on him. His love for me remains constant, and consistent.

Light-hearted – Even before my episode of Major/Severe Depression my life was pretty dark. I was a very negative person, and – truth be told – not very happy. I was not happy with myself, consequently I was not happy with anyone or anything in my life. When I began experiencing depression symptoms my already dark world became darker, more painful and closed in on me. It was a horrible existence. Coming out of that darkness has been a difficult process. Now that I am on the other side of things I feel light – light-hearted. I love the beauty I see in the world. My heart feels happy.

Laugh – This word makes me feel positively happy because I actually laugh. I am not sure if you can understand what it is like to go several years without actually laughing, but that is what I did. Laughter is a great stress reliever, and mood booster, and I was missing those beneficial things because I was to angry, and depressed to laugh. Now, I laugh everyday. My favorite laughs are the deep belly laughs that make my whole body shake.

M

More – This word makes me feel positively happy, because I have learned that there can be more to life than sadness, and pain. I can have more laughter, giggles, and good feelings. I can have relationships with more love and respect. I have learned to take care of myself more.

Miracle – This word makes me feel positively happy because I believe the fact that I am still alive, and doing as well as I am – physically and mentally – is a miracle. Almost two years ago I was determined to take my own life, and tried very hard to end it. Even after my own actions did not result in my death, my thoughts stayed centered on killing myself. It took many long months for me to see my own worth, and to come to a point where I no longer wanted to die. That is a miracle, and I give thanks for it everyday.

Memories – This word makes me feel positively happy because I have many good memories of my dad. Those memories are bringing me comfort. They are helping me not be overwhelmed by the sorrow I am feeling.

N

No – This word makes me positively happy because I actually use it now. I think “No” can be a positive word, if used in the proper way. Part of finding my voice, and myself was learning how to say “No” – mean it – and not feel guilty about it.

Normal – This word makes me feel positively happy because I have come to realize that there are no normal people in the world. Everyone, and I mean everyone has problems. I used to believe that there was no one who could really understand how my emotions, and physical health affected my mental health. I felt alone, and like I was the odd man out. One of the most amazing things I discovered in the last year and a half – through blogging, depression treatment, and social media – is I AM NOT ALONE. That realization has been a source of comfort. I also learned that everyone is just as odd as I am!

Near – This word makes me feel positive happy because my friends – those I rely on – are near. They are only a phone call away. Just last year, I had no one – apart from family – that I could count on. Things are different now. The other reason this word makes me positively happy is I have found a support group that is near. It is a nice feeling to know that when I reach out for help, I have it from new, and old friendships.

O

Opportunity – This word makes me feel positively happy because it reminds me of all the wonderful opportunities I have had since beginning depression treatment. I have had the opportunity to build a better relationship with my parents. I have loved the opportunities I have had to meet new, interesting, and wonderful people. I am grateful for the opportunity I have been given to learn that I love to write.

Okay – This word makes me feel positively happy, because I am okay. I really am. I have faced some really difficult things in the last few days, and I am still okay. I have decided that being Okay is a good thing.

Onward – This word is positive – to me – because I know I need to keep moving onward – moving past how I feel now. If the only way I can keep moving onward is to get some extra psychiatric help – for a short while – then I need to do that.

P

Positive – This word makes me feel positively happy because I have learned how to be a more positive person. Before I began depression treatment I looked at the world in a very negative way. I rarely saw anything good in it, or in people. I rarely had anything positive to say about anything. As a result of some home work my counselor gave me, I have learned to view the world in a completely new – positive – way. It creates a feeling of joy in me knowing that life is made up of so many positive things.

Progress – This word makes me feel positively happy because I am amazed, and pleased at how much progress I have made toward being as mentally healthy as I possibly can. Almost two years ago I wanted to die. Now I see that my life is full of potential, peace, and promise. I am very excited about all the possible directions my life will take.

Pick-me-up – This word makes me feel positively happy because of the two young ladies who have been wandering around my blog. Their begging me to adopt them really was a wonderful pick-me-up. They made me giggle, and smile more than I have for several days.

Q

Quiet – This word makes me feel positively happy because I enjoy my quiet time. I enjoy spending time with myself. In the past when I spent time with myself, it was a negative, and heart breaking time. I spend the time worrying, and contemplating all sorts of negative things that were going to happen. It was also time spent thinking about, and planning my own death. Now when I have quiet time, I am writing, or reading. Sometimes, I am just vegging out watching TV. There are no more quiet times spent torturing myself with all kinds of negative thoughts.

Quality – This word makes me feel positively happy because it reminds me that I deserve a quality life. My life does not have to be full of harsh words, sadness, depression, and anxiety. I have just as much right to a quality life as anyone does, I just have to make the choices that will allow me to have it. It means letting go of anger, hurt, frustrations, and unforgiveness.

Question – This word makes me feel positively happy because I have learned to question mine – and other people’s – preconceived ideas about me. I am not what other people say, or think I am. I am not who I used to think I was. I am me – warts and all.

R

Respect – This word makes me feel positively happy because I have respect for MYSELF. I like who I am. I have gone from someone who hated herself to someone who knows that she has value, and deserves as much respect as anyone else does.

Release – This word makes me feel positively happy because it reminds me to release my worries, and stress. I have a very difficult time not worrying about things. I have a hard time letting go of sad, and hurt feelings. Not letting go of those things creates a huge amount of stress in me. It also creates the perfect environment in my mind for depression symptoms to reside. If I can remember to let go and release those feelings, and worries to God then they are no longer mine to deal with. God will make sure I am safe, and okay. I just have to remember to let Him.

Remarkable -This  word makes me feel positively positive because when I look at my mother I can see how remarkable she is.  It has been very difficult for her since my dad died, but she has handled everything with grace, and done a wonderful job.  She has had to make an awful lot of phone calls that started with ” My husband recently died… “, and as hard as it has been she’s done it.  Although there have been times when she’s been very, very sad, she has shown  a great deal of strength during this difficult time.  She is a remarkable woman and I’m blessed that she is my mother.

S

Social – This word makes me feel positively happy because I am more social than I used to be. I have friends, and family that I communicate with, and hang out with. I am not a social butterfly – and have no plans to become one – but I have found value, and joy in being more social. Inviting people into my life has allowed me to realize that I have some very good emotional and mental health support.

Strong – This word makes me feel positively happy because I am strong. I am actually much stronger than I ever gave myself credit for. I am strong enough to tackle things – on my own – when I need to. I am also strong enough to ask for help when I think I need it. I am strong enough to cry when I need to, and find something to laugh about when I am hurting. I am strong enough to look at myself – to make changes to my behavior. I am also strong enough to let a few trusted people observe me, and listen when they a few suggestions that will benefit me.

Strong – This word makes me positively happy because I am strong.  I honestly thought dad’s death would just undo me.  While some days have been extremely difficult, I have noticed I am stronger than I gave myself credit for.  I miss dad every day – and I think I always will- however, I believe he would be proud to see me coming through this OK.

I know this word is a repeat, but I really felt the need to add it again.

T

Thankful – This word makes me feel positively happy because I have found that being thankful for what I have in my life feels good. It is wonderful to look at the world around me, and pick out all the blessings in my life. It is encouraging, and uplifting. My goal is to find something to be thankful for every day for as long I live.

Today – This word makes me positively because I have learned – and am still learning – how to live one day at time. Living for today, makes my world a less stressful place to live in. It also makes it easier for me to find things to be thankful for, and to take joy in.

Try -This word makes me feel positively happy, because to try means I am not giving up.  I have given up before, and it is a sad and lonely place to be. I realize now I do not have to feel that way, and for me the simplest answer is to try.

 

U

Understanding – This word makes me feel positively happy because it reminds me of how understanding of my mental, and physical health issues some people have been. They have an understanding of how hard I have worked to improve my health. They attempt to be understanding about what life has been life for me over the last few years. Their attempts to be understanding are very encouraging to me.

Useful – This word makes me feel positively happy because I feel useful, but not used. One of the things I really enjoy about staying with my parents is the fact that they truly appreciate the things I do for them, and they are excellent at letting me know that. It really makes me proud of myself that I can help them – I could not even help myself when my depression was severe.

Upbeat – This word makes me feel positively happy because being upbeat is all about maintaining a positive attitude. I know that if I can remain upbeat -stay positive – then the curveballs that life throws me will not be so difficult for me to manage.

V

Value – This word makes me feel positively happy, because I see that I have value. Knowing, and believing I have value has a huge impact on me, and my life. I am happy with myself. I see that I have a great deal to offer the world.

Victory – This word makes me positively happy, because I consider each day I am alive a victory. It was less than two years ago when I tried to take my own life. I was miserable, and did not want to live. Yet, I am still alive, and mentally healthier than I have ever been. Each day is precious to me, and I take great pride in knowing how far I have come in a relatively short amount of time.

Valid – This word makes me feel positively happy, because I now realize  my emotions are valid – normal you could say. One of the most difficult things for me to learn/figure out in depression treatment has been if my emotional response to something is valid, or if it is skewed to the extreme by depression symptoms. It feels good to be able to identify a particular set of emotions as valid for the circumstance or situation.

Victory – This word makes me positively happy, because I consider each day I am alive a victory. It was less than two years ago when I tried to take my own life. I was miserable, and did not want to live. Yet, I am still alive, and mentally healthier than I have ever been. Each day is precious to me, and I take great pride in knowing how far I have come in a relatively short amount of time.

W

Wisdom – This word makes me positively happy because I am blessed to have people in my life who are wise, and do not mind sharing their wisdom with me. My own life experiences, and experience with major depression, has given me wisdom that I do not mind – in fact I enjoy – sharing with other people. I never thought of myself has having any wisdom, so it is a nice feeling to know that I have something good to pass on, and that I can turn my own negative experiences into something positive.

Worthy – This word makes me feel positively happy, because I have learned I am worthy of many things. For most of my life I did not have a great deal of self-worth. One of the things I have learned while I have been in depression treatment, is that I have worth. I am valuable. I have a lot to offer the world, and the people in it.

Workable – This word makes me feel positively happy, because I have learned even the most difficult of circumstances are workable. Meaning, if I can remember my tools, and ask for help when I need it, then I can find a way to work through almost everything. In the past, instead of seeing things as workable I would quickly become overwhelmed, full of anxiety, and paralyzed. It is a much better feeling to find my way through a difficult circumstance then to become so overwhelmed that I can’t function.

Worthy – This word makes me feel positively happy, because I have learned I am worthy of many things. For most of my life I did not have a great deal of self-worth. One of the things I have learned while I have been in depression treatment, is that I have worth. I am valuable. I have a lot to offer the world, and the people in it.

X

Xylophone – I could not think of a single positive word that starts with X. However, this word makes me giggle because it is funny looking and funny sounding.

xylose – This word makes me positively happy because I found it fun to look for words starting with X that I could use for this list. It also gave me a chance to learn something new. This word means: a sugar extracted from wood or straw; used in foods for diabetics [syn: {wood sugar}]

If you come up with any positive words that start with X, please let me know.

Y

Yippee – This word makes me feel positively happy because I have more and more moments that are worthy of yelling “Yippee!” I have good moments, happy moments, moments that I rarely had before I began depression treatment.

Young – This word makes me feel positively happy because I have realized that I am young. One of the ways that depression has affected me is how it has made me feel much older than I really am. Better mental health has lead to me feeling much younger than I used to.

Z

Zest – This word makes me positively happy because my life is full of zest, and flavor now. There is so much for me to look forward to, and so many things for me to enjoy now. Even with all the difficulties, and stressors I have right now, life is good.

Zap – This may sound silly…this word makes me positively happy because when I think about it I get a picture of a Laser Gun in my head. With this laser gun, I go around shooting my depression, and anxiety symptoms. It is a very creative way for me to control/manage my mental health issues.