Seems everyone is talking about the "Down Times" these days. You know, how the economy is down, we're all feeling down, our money is down, our happiness is down....... well, it doesn't have to be.

One thing I've learned is that there are ways to thrive during "down times"... I'm not just talking about survival here or "getting through it".  I'm talking about experiencing genuine joy, looking forward to each new day, and relishing every moment.

Here are 5 ways to do just that.  Here's the catch: you have to actually do them.  Everyday.

1. Change The Channel.

You are in control of what information you receive, of where you place your focus. The News is filled with dread. You have friends or acquaintances who always bring you down, whose negative attitudes are down-right infectious... Well, you have the remote control.  Change the channel.  Choose to be around positive people.  Choose to watch positive television, go to positive websites, read positive books.  Fill yourself with positive overload.

2. Embrace What Is.

In every moment, you can choose to embrace or reject whatever is right in front of you.  You can choose to "love it" or "leave it".  Choose to love it. Feeling a little depressed at the moment? Love the depression... get a sad movie, a big bowl of comfort food, a box of tissues, some candles, a nice blanket... make a moment out of "being depressed".  Embrace it fully. Only then can you understand it and move past it. Your emotions aren't something to be ignored, they are there to guide you. Love them, and love the circumstances you are in right now. It may take a few moments to find the love, but when you do, you'll come to appreciate what you do have, instead of focusing on what you don't.

3. Fake It Until You Make It.

Feeling sad? Fake being happy. Put a smile on your face anyway. Go to a joke website and surprise yourself with a good laugh. Do what makes you happy. In other words, pretend to be happy. Scientific studies have demonstrated that your brain doesn't know the difference between when you act happy and when you actually are happy... the same chemical reaction that comes with happiness will happen either way. And it's that chemical reaction that makes you happy.

4. If You Don't Know What To Do, Do Something Until You Do.

It's better to be doing something instead of doing nothing. So, if you're not sure what to do, do the first thing that comes to mind. Then do the next thing that comes to mind. In other words, you don't have to have the answers, but you do need to be participating in your own life. So, you want to achieve your dream of being the next Susan Boyle, but you don't know what to do... well, do something.  Sing. Everywhere. All the time. Simon Cowell will find you.

Sometimes the best thing to do is to find someone objective who can hold you accountable to yourself. Friends and family often have an agenda that involves you because of their relationship with you. This means that they can often not be objective because of how they see you. Instead, find someone who doesn't have a personal stake in your life to whom you can turn to be a sounding board... a therapist, counselor, life coach, advisor, or other professional is the type of person who can be objective without getting involved.

5. Trust Yourself.

Every moment of every day, your intuition is telling you how to live your life. How often do you listen to yourself? Scientific research tells us that you are actually living in energy waves that connect you to every other living being. Every living being affects those waves, which effects everything in those waves. Your intuition is always connected to the greater consciousness, even when you aren't aware of it. Listen. Feel. Know. It is the path of least resistance because the path is always being created by you. You are your greatest ally, and everthing that happens to you is for your GOOD. Even if you don't see it that way in the moment.

Whether times are good or bad, up or down... you have one thing that is always with you in your life: You. The difference between simply surviving and thriving is how you choose to live within your life. Who will you choose to be today?

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Stephen Fofanoff is a life coach and education consultant. Find him online here on edufire and at http://www.stephenfofanoff.com