Would Lake Ontario do the trick?
Helping people has always given me a boost. Kind of like spreading the love and sharing the positive outcome so to speak.
That's very insightful. Doesn't sound like a bad exercise at all. Its like instead of riding the roller coaster you simply chose not to get on and instead look at the layout of the track.

I don't know. I think the sea's energy comes from their open nature, and the fact that so many countries bathe in them, plus possibly the southern winds. But i contrast them to a different (swiss, european) meaning of 'lake'. American 'lakes', and their ridiculous scales, may provide something completely different from the ponds i'm familiar with. I have really no idea of how an american lake 'feels' like.

This. The moment the sword is sheathed I feel a sparkle of satisfaction and peace - provided the kata's done right. This is probably just my thing though, I wouldn't bet on you achieving the same effect.
I suspect a workout could do the trick as well. Then there's a rule to not leave yourself the time to dwell on the negative stuff, do something all the time.
And yes, a cat may help. Those furry egoists know how to cheer you up. If you're not a cat person, I think a dog would work too.

Get yourself a pet,and when down just play with it.....Works a treat......
Advise against getting a Funnel Web Spider as they tend to bite if annoyed....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsEogUO7q1M

Playing uplifting, innocent and engaging games helped me. Like Okami and Kingdom Hearts.

You seem to have understood what I tried to convey. But one really has to experience it in order to fully understand. I should also add that it takes some time and practice until you will be able to generate a presence that is stable enough. It's now a year since I have begun my journey into mindfulness, and only of recent I have been able to reside in awareness in the presence of very negative emotions.
Think of your awareness like a muscle that needs to be trained. Even though it's already there and it is accessible at any time, one needs to strengthen it in order to "carry" heavy weights. Probably this analogy has some truth to it physiologically, as it seems that the pre-frontal cortex plays an important role here.

If you are interesting in trying this out for yourself, I can suggest to you the book "The Mindful Way Through Depression" by Jon Kabat-Zinn, et. al. This book takes on mindfulness from a neutral and very practical point-of-view. If you are not afraid of something more spiritual, I would also recommend "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle. This is not a practical guide, but it helps to you understand what it's really about.

Negative thoughts are fine to have as long as you also consider other kinds of thoughts. The suggestions here tend to be a little ineffective in the long run. You can't flip on a funny video in the middle of an anger episode at work, for example. The long term efficacy of resorting to an external source to control your feelings and thoughts is more questionable than my qualifications as a counselor. If you have any specific inquiries feel free to pm me and I'll help you out. :>

My wife always tells me to think of one good thing each time I get down. Easier said than done at times, but she does a good job of reminding me :P

Stay away from utter twats and those "happy go lucky", "positive thinker" types too- they always cause me to get negative with their utter idiocy.
[insert euphemism here]

On another note, I think all our thoughts are fleeting, and the only way to sustain them is to dwell on them.

A few examples: on Christmas morning, a kid opens a present and it's just what he wanted! He's so happy he jumps for joy. For a minute. And then it's "Ok, what's next?"

You bring your significant other flowers. He or she then thinks, "Wow, I'm with such a great, loving person. How awesome." Twenty minutes later you get yelled at for not taking out the recycling.

You buy your dream car. It may take a little longer than with everyday things, but eventually it tends to just become a mode of transportation. You've got other things to think about whilst driving rather than how awesome your car is.

A lot has to do with not only what we think, but what we think about what we think and how we choose to respond to what we think, which, I think, ties in to what FT337mZn said.

Sometimes when I'm at work I'll write on a piece of paper "Don't care" and leave it where I can see it. That doesn't mean don't care about what I'm doing, but it reminds me to take things as they are and not get caught up in letting my mind create drama where there is none, or dwell on something I perceive as negative. Not always easy, but at least trying to be aware of your thoughts rather than just thinking them can help.

I found that taking a nap if I feel frustrated or sad really helps, by the time I wake up I feel a lot better and refreshed. :-)

One kind of sacrifice or another.

lol and I was just telling her how mature this forum was!

Meditation, and prayer to my God, the Biblical God. My best wishes for all of us, living beings against self-loathing!!

You touched on something very important here, namely that most pain is essentially self-created. Quoting Eckhart Tolle here freely: "Most people's unhappiness is not created by circumstances, but by their mind's interpretation of these circumstances". My background with negative thinking is a depression. At the time I was depressed, it seemed to me that my whole life perspective was just getting dimmer. This seemed to be a completely objective *fact* to me. This basically made my analytical mind from a tool into a weapon for self-harm. Only after I got out of the depression I could see how much of my "life situation" was just stuff my mind made up or twisted.