How high is your joy meter today? High, low, or medium? Joy flows in and through us on a daily basis but we must make a conscious decision to focus on being joyful. It is important to check our joy meter first thing in the morning because the way we start our day determines how our day will go. We've been talking about ways to get and keep our joy and today I am sharing the next 3 tips as promised. If you missed the first 3 tips for getting back your joy, here is the post again.
Tip #4. Pay attention to your thoughts.
Here's a quick tip I do every morning to get in the right frame of mind. I declare this verse - out loud: "This is the day the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it." (Ps. 118:24). Notice the emphasis on the words "I will". This indicates I am making a conscious DECISION to be joyful. We must be deliberate about our frame of mind, if we want to stay joy-filled.
Do you find yourself dwelling on the same issue for days or nights on end? This is called ruminating and it is a joy-stealer. We are spinning our mental wheels trying to figure something our or solve a problem that has no solution. When we are stressed about something, our minds get into the habit of thinking about the situation over and over which is neither healthy nor productive. PIcture a car stuck in a ditch with the wheels whirling and whirling. This is what our minds are doing.
The good news is practicing mindfulness helps us to be more aware of
our thoughts. We need to catch ourselves ruminating or dwelling on
negative topics and bring ourselves back to the present moment, the here and
now. Slowly, the grooves in our brains will be rewired and we will
have better thinking patterns over time.
No matter what thoughts pop into my head, I remind myself of the truths I
believe in. "Lord, you are in control of everything in my life. This might
not look like a good thing to me right now, but I know you can work it out for
my good. I will take responsibility for my thoughts, decisions, and actions. I
will let go and trust you to work it out. I will rejoice and be glad today. I
will take care of myself and keep my distance from negative people." This
helps strengthen my spiritual muscle and keeps my peace and joy.
5. Have some fun.
As a single parent of two growing boys for many years combined with a full-time
career plus grad school, it was hard to find time to have fun. No matter how
busy we might be, however, play is vital to our well-being. (See #5 in my new book "Take Back Your Life". ) Some of us, including me, are so responsible, we have to schedule downtime and play into our to-do lists. We need to find balance in our daily lives if we want to keep our joy.
What do you like to do? What takes your mind off your problems and brings you into the present moment? Choose a healthy activity that will restore and energize you, instead of depleting you or taking you out of reality like watching the boob tube or playing video games. Something out of doors is always good this time of year. Walking is a great way to let go of stress and get a bit of exercise and fresh air. Team up with a friend or loved one. Or maybe go for a bike ride, or do some gardening. Even a half hour will do you a world of good.
6. Let go of control.
We all like to be in control. My issue stems from being raised in a
chaotic home, but most of us want to be "in control" to some degree.
The truth is there are only a handful of things that are truly under our
control. Much of life - aka other people - are not and the sooner we come to
understand this, the more peace and less stress we will have. Do what you
can to attend to any given situation and then give it to God. Notice we have a
part in fixing our problems. We can't just say "Well, God will take care
of it." When we do what we can, God will do what we can't. This is where
patience, obedience, and faith come in.
There you have my 6 tips to getting your joy back.
We all go through difficult situations and I'm certainly not minimizing what
you or I are going through right now, but I have learned that the tough stuff
will keep coming. This is life. It is up to us to decide how each situation
will affect us and how we will respond to it in the moment. The quicker we can
let go of unhappy, negative thoughts, the more we can enjoy our life.
Reflection:
How about you? Is there something or someone stealing your joy? Are you feeling overwhelmed with all your responsibilities? What changes do you need to make to have more peace and joy? Don't let the
challenges of life steal either one. Make a decision to let go of control and enjoy each
day for the gift it is. That's why they call it "the present".
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Stay tuned for more positive and practical wisdom to help you ignite the
power within and discover YOUR destiny!
Until next time, keep smiling and keep looking up!
Ariel Paz
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