7 Steps to Creating Joy

Next Article

LOC’s Famous Fruitcakes

steps to CREATING

in your everyday life

By Joy H. Coleman

Happiness is a choice. Have you ever heard of the phrase? It may seem impossible, but there is some truth to it.

Genetics and life circumstances can indeed play a role in your level of happiness. However, there are things you do to increase your enjoyment in life. Although it’s not realistic to expect happiness just to appear, you can learn how to increase your level of happiness.

Try these steps to create happiness. If they don’t work for you, build a list of what DOES work!

HOBBIES

During the pandemic, you may have picked up a hobby, such as puzzles, to pass the time at home while reducing worrying thoughts and appreciating completing tasks. Hobbies are what we do outside of work that gives us pleasure and relaxation. Pick something that brings you pleasure, no matter how silly.

GET OUTDOORS

Go outside and inhale the goodness of nature. Seek moments that resonate in your heart and capture Mother Nature deep into your soul. If nature isn’t your thing, nd your comfort and go!

SIMPLICITY

Sometimes, a simple life expands happiness. The pursuit of a simple life is about rejecting what is unnecessarily complicated. It’s about pursuing people over things, living with less, enjoying the small things in life and no longer chasing more, more, more. Focus on the simple things in life and realize that you don’t need mountains of tangible “things” in your life to be happy. Ultimately, it’s about experiencing the most out of the essentials in life, and not being bogged down by the inessentials. Recognize what helps you and embrace it.

SMALL ACTS OF KINDNESS

Acts of kindness lift us up and the results are huge. Don’t look down, obsessed with yourself. Look at others and share a smile. Let someone else go rst in line; put money in the animal rescue bin; give to a needy street person. It costs so little. You don’t have to believe in their needs, but be willing to help.

INSPIRATION

Distressed hearts and minds respond: when reading, watching or listening to inspirational content, our spirits are lifted. Hearing a positive speaker is like getting a virtual hug.

MINDFULNESS

Practicing mindfulness illustrates how quickly our thoughts and emotions change. The choice is to focus on negative thoughts or to let them go. Anyone can choose a reaction that makes today feel good—or makes us miserable in the long run. Choosing to pause and not just react makes room for ideas we haven’t considered.

DAYS OFF

Sometimes, we burst as Friday ticks around. We’re taught to keep going, no matter what. The lesson is to stop before we fry our nervous system. Why not just “putter” about? Take a break and do whatever needs doing: change light bulbs. Do what helps you relax and rejuvenate. Don’t miss your day o .

It’s when you decide to make better decisions for yourself, that ultimately lead you to nding happiness.

MEDITATION & happiness

WHAT IS MEDITATION?

The Mayo Clinic notes that meditation is considered a type of mind-body complementary medicine that intends to produce a tranquil, relaxed state of mind. When practicing meditation, individuals focus their attention and aspire to remove potentially stressinducing, jumbled thoughts from their mind.

Taking steps to safeguard mental health is a vital component of a healthy lifestyle. The National Institute of Mental Health notes that mental health a ects how individuals think and feel, the choices they make and how they relate to others, which underscores just how important it is to prioritize mental health.

Meditation is a popular practice with a history so lengthy it may surprise even its most devoted practitioners. The global spread of the practice is believed to have started around the fth or sixth century. The lengthy history of meditation is proof that the practice is no mere fad. In fact, people from all walks of life have much to gain from meditation. Meditation is both simpler and more complex than most people think. The following steps can get any novice started.

• Take a seat. Individuals are urged to nd a calm, quiet place to sit.

• Set a time limit. A short session between ve and 10 minutes can help novices.

• Notice your body. Individuals should be stable and sit in a position they can maintain for a while.

• Feel your breath. As you breath in and out, make an e ort to feel the sensation of your breath.

• Notice if your mind wanders. It’s likely that your mind will wander to other places during your sessions. Pay attention to when it does and then refocus your attention to your breathing.

• Don’t judge yourself. Wandering thoughts during meditation are not deserving of scorn. When the mind wanders, simply return to meditating without obsessing over the thoughts that came into your head when your mind wandered o .

• Close with kindness. As your session draws to a close, gently lift your gaze and take a moment to notice your surrounding environment, how your body feels and your thoughts and emotions.