5 Tips for More Joy
5 Tips for More Joy
The holidays are upon us. Filled with excitement, shopping, parties and STRESS. Here are a few tips to bring more joy into this holiday season.
1. Be Present
Set your intention to enjoy the moment rather than allowing your mind to regret the past or dread the future. When we focus on either the past or the future, we are no longer in the present.
Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why we call it ‘the Present.’”
It is human nature to allow our minds to drift. We might think of our to-do list. We might think about what’s for dinner. Maybe we are planning out our evening activities or ruminating over an unpleasant experience. Doing any of these activities takes us out of the moment.
SUGGESTION: Periodically ask yourself, “Am I here now? And if the answer is “No,” then gently bring yourself back into awareness of the moment.
2. Be Joy-filled
It’s been said that joy is our natural state. What are you doing to block yourself from joy?
Laurence G. Boldt explains, “The enduring joy is the one inherent in our being. It is not to be found in a person, condition, or object. It is part and parcel of the consciousness of life. To the extent that we live in consciousness, we live in joy. To the extent that we are unconscious, we miss the bliss.”
When you are present (as suggested in tip #1) and conscious, stop for a moment and explore that state of joy.
SUGGESTION: Be still and ask yourself if you are experiencing joy. If the answer is “No” then ask what blocks you can release to feel the joy.
3. Be Yourself
It makes no sense to try to be someone or something that you’re not. Who are you trying to impress?
Recognize and celebrate YOU – with all your little idiosyncrasies, your unique gifts, your personality and the very nature of who you are.
It takes a whole lot of energy to try to be something you are not. Consider, for instance, that you are feeling down or upset. When your friends ask, “How are you?” and you choose to hide whatever it is you’re really feeling and instead robotically utter, “Fine, thank you,” you are not only out of integrity, but you are draining your life force energy.
This doesn’t mean to be a total downer and whine and complain about everything. It does mean to be real – at least with the people closest to you.
In the words of e.e. Cummings, “ to be nobody-but-yourself – in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else – means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.”
SUGGESTION: Especially at holiday time, discover what would please and energize you rather than sticking to the always increasing list of “have-to’s.”
4. Breathe
When we are stressed, the very act of breathing is affected. To help manage the stress and feel a whole lot better, spend a few minutes focusing on the breath.
Try using what I call “The Pleasure Breath” which has been taught by Ellie Drake as the Oxytocin Breath. All you have to do is inhale deeply all the way down to your belly. Exhale with the sound, “Hah” and a big smile on your face. This will stimulate your Vegas nerve and increases oxytocin (a feel-good hormone).
In the wise words of Thích Nhất Hạnh, “Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.”
SUGGESTION: As soon as you are aware that you are feeling upset, agitated or stressed, remember to take at least 3 Pleasure Breaths!
5. Selfless Service
All year, and especially during the holiday season, it’s important to get out of your own “little self” and remember that you are a part of and connected to the whole of humanity.
“Seva” is a Sanskrit word referring to “selfless service” – work performed without any expectation of payment or reward. In ancient India, Seva was encouraged to help the individual grow spiritually and to also contribute to the improvement of the larger community.
Mahatma Gandhi declared, “Consciously or unconsciously, every one of us does render some service or other. If we cultivate the habit of doing this service deliberately, our desire for service will steadily grow stronger, and will make, not only for our own happiness, but that of the world at large.”
SUGGESTION: Become conscious of who might need a helping hand, and offer your services from a place of joy and compassion.
Wishing you much joy this holiday season,
Meryl
Gift yourself or a loved one with a copy of Stop Eating Your Heart Out, which is available in 5 formats:
Print version
eBook
PDF workbook
Kindle workbook
Audiobook
More information at http://stopeatingyourheartout.com/5fo...Stop Eating Your Heart Out: The 21-Day Program to Free Yourself from Emotional Eating
The holidays are upon us. Filled with excitement, shopping, parties and STRESS. Here are a few tips to bring more joy into this holiday season.
1. Be Present
Set your intention to enjoy the moment rather than allowing your mind to regret the past or dread the future. When we focus on either the past or the future, we are no longer in the present.
Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why we call it ‘the Present.’”
It is human nature to allow our minds to drift. We might think of our to-do list. We might think about what’s for dinner. Maybe we are planning out our evening activities or ruminating over an unpleasant experience. Doing any of these activities takes us out of the moment.
SUGGESTION: Periodically ask yourself, “Am I here now? And if the answer is “No,” then gently bring yourself back into awareness of the moment.
2. Be Joy-filled
It’s been said that joy is our natural state. What are you doing to block yourself from joy?
Laurence G. Boldt explains, “The enduring joy is the one inherent in our being. It is not to be found in a person, condition, or object. It is part and parcel of the consciousness of life. To the extent that we live in consciousness, we live in joy. To the extent that we are unconscious, we miss the bliss.”
When you are present (as suggested in tip #1) and conscious, stop for a moment and explore that state of joy.
SUGGESTION: Be still and ask yourself if you are experiencing joy. If the answer is “No” then ask what blocks you can release to feel the joy.
3. Be Yourself
It makes no sense to try to be someone or something that you’re not. Who are you trying to impress?
Recognize and celebrate YOU – with all your little idiosyncrasies, your unique gifts, your personality and the very nature of who you are.
It takes a whole lot of energy to try to be something you are not. Consider, for instance, that you are feeling down or upset. When your friends ask, “How are you?” and you choose to hide whatever it is you’re really feeling and instead robotically utter, “Fine, thank you,” you are not only out of integrity, but you are draining your life force energy.
This doesn’t mean to be a total downer and whine and complain about everything. It does mean to be real – at least with the people closest to you.
In the words of e.e. Cummings, “ to be nobody-but-yourself – in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else – means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.”
SUGGESTION: Especially at holiday time, discover what would please and energize you rather than sticking to the always increasing list of “have-to’s.”
4. Breathe
When we are stressed, the very act of breathing is affected. To help manage the stress and feel a whole lot better, spend a few minutes focusing on the breath.
Try using what I call “The Pleasure Breath” which has been taught by Ellie Drake as the Oxytocin Breath. All you have to do is inhale deeply all the way down to your belly. Exhale with the sound, “Hah” and a big smile on your face. This will stimulate your Vegas nerve and increases oxytocin (a feel-good hormone).
In the wise words of Thích Nhất Hạnh, “Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.”
SUGGESTION: As soon as you are aware that you are feeling upset, agitated or stressed, remember to take at least 3 Pleasure Breaths!
5. Selfless Service
All year, and especially during the holiday season, it’s important to get out of your own “little self” and remember that you are a part of and connected to the whole of humanity.
“Seva” is a Sanskrit word referring to “selfless service” – work performed without any expectation of payment or reward. In ancient India, Seva was encouraged to help the individual grow spiritually and to also contribute to the improvement of the larger community.
Mahatma Gandhi declared, “Consciously or unconsciously, every one of us does render some service or other. If we cultivate the habit of doing this service deliberately, our desire for service will steadily grow stronger, and will make, not only for our own happiness, but that of the world at large.”
SUGGESTION: Become conscious of who might need a helping hand, and offer your services from a place of joy and compassion.
Wishing you much joy this holiday season,
Meryl
Gift yourself or a loved one with a copy of Stop Eating Your Heart Out, which is available in 5 formats:
Print version
eBook
PDF workbook
Kindle workbook
Audiobook
More information at http://stopeatingyourheartout.com/5fo...Stop Eating Your Heart Out: The 21-Day Program to Free Yourself from Emotional Eating
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