Joy Amid Challenges
We can all agree that these last 10 1/2 months since the WHO declared this pandemic have been difficult. So, if I’m telling you that joy is within you and unshakeable, where is it here? If you are working to uncover yours, how do you do so?
The answer is to start with small steps. I often ask people that if they retain one thing from knowing me, to please let it be that small steps are the key to big change. In this place where we have a light at the end of the tunnel as the vaccine is being rolled out to those in the first phase, many are having a harder time than ever due to the stresses of winter, a new more contagious strain popping up in new places, and fatigue or depression from having to change lives for so long. Though I’ve fared pretty well so far, I’m not immune either. These are normal human responses. It’s OK to not be OK right now.
However, small steps can be grounding habits and give you a sense of control over the current circumstances. The options below will also help rewire your brain and change how you see the world. Instead of scanning the world for negative things (which is a natural negativity bias), you’ll start seeing more positive things. Instead of waiting for something to come along to make you feel happy for 10 minutes, you’re taking action to rewire your brain and connect with the joy that’s already within you. If that joy has been buried for a long time, it will take time to uncover it but simple habits like this help you do so.
If you have 2 minutes:
1. Write down 3 new things you are grateful for each day. Since you need to list new things every day, you start to see your world differently.
2. When you open your phone or computer each day, spend 2 minutes writing a text or email praising or thanking someone in your social circle. You’ll feel great for putting good out into the world and you’ll strengthen your social connections. You will likely also change that person’s day along with others who come into contact with them.
If you have 5 minutes:
3. Write out a positive experience from each day. Add all the details you can recall. Doing so allows your brain to relive it thereby doubling your positive experience.
4. Meditation will help train your brain to focus on one thing at a time. Getting distracted is normal, over time you’ll learn to let the distractions pass without pursuing them as often.
If you have 20 minutes or more:
5. Exercise regularly which teaches your brain that your behavior matters. Walking around the neighborhood counts. Just move your body.
The purpose of these exercises is to help you see the world in a more positive way. They are NOT intended to sugarcoat issues but to see that there are positive things, opportunities, and people within every day. The more you practice, the more you’ll see.
Pick one and try it for a few days and see what you notice about yourself. I’d love to hear how it goes! Email me at Cheryl@resettingjoy.com
*The options above are those proposed by Shawn Achor in his TED Talk that I highly recommend you devote 12 minutes of your life to watching and based on the following studies in the field of positive psychology:
1. (Gratitudes) Emmons & McCullough, 2003
2. (Random acts of kindness) Lyubomirsky, 2005
3. (Journaling) Slatcher & Pennebaker, 2006
4. (Meditation) Dweck, 2007
5. (Exercise) Babyak, et. al, 2000
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