SEASON OF JOY

Celebrating Joy & Peace

Wintertime & holiday celebrations, they are supposed to be a season of Joy and happiness. But for many, that can be difficult to find. 

The longer winter nights and darkness can bring a feeling of loneliness and sometimes despair. The overcast days can make it feel like the darkness never ends. Thankfully, we have now passed the Winter Solstice, in which our day light begins to extend again. 

Add that to the stresses of holiday preparation, spending time with family or friends, those can trigger more emotional strains. Then there is the current state of the economy and society's upheaval, which can all compound this heaviness and hopelessness.

How can we find the light through this darkness? How can we recreate a level of joy and happiness that can break through the barrier of the hopeless and dark state of mind? 

Let me guide you through

Change is hard and scary. But making a few changes, can reset our mindset, and create a much more positive outlook.

Practicing surrender is the first step. Everything we endure is a lesson required for us to learn, grow and evolve. As painful as the REALLY hard stuff in our lives can be, everything truly impacts how we think and feel, and how we make decisions to live our lives in the future. Surrendering is learning to trust in your intuition and fate again. Just because things don't turn out as we had envisioned doesn't mean we're not on the correct path. Life can teach us in surprising ways. Surrendering is like going with the flow of the river, instead of upstream against it.

Release is the second step. Releasing what was, and what will be. Detaching ourselves from expectations and outcome. Living in each moment and day as it comes. When living in each moment, we are able to appreciate the here and now as it is present. Having let go of worrying about future outcomes, and all that can go wrong, or what we think is wrong, we can embrace the moment with more enthusiasm! By releasing our expectations we are allowing for something better than we would have imagined to come forward instead.

Gratitude, the third step. Finding gratefulness in any and everything. Make a gratitude list every morning or night. It can be however long or short you want, detailed or brief. You can be grateful for big or small things. Appreciation for any blessing or thing that lifts your spirit. In Gratitude, finding joy comes quicker. You can find it by laughing, singing, dancing, time with friends or alone. You can find joy by watching funny movies or television shows. Share your gratitude with others by telling your loved ones something that you appreciate or enjoy about them. This practice can become incorporated into your families routine. Having each person share something they are grateful for during dinner.

Mindfulness or Meditation, the fourth step. With the practice of mindfulness or meditation you can bring peace into your heart with love and acceptance of yourself, that you are a beautiful being created perfectly for who your meant to be. This can bring peace and calm into your mind and heart. Mindfulness can help you let go of negative feelings, emotions, and worries, while allowing a quiet peace to wash over you. By creating a daily practice of mindfulness or meditation, you can begin to find more peace daily. 

While none of these things "fix" anything going on in our lives, it can help them become more bearable. Over time, and using all four steps, you can begin to turn things around for yourself. If however, things are feeling much harder for you, please confide in someone close to you, or seek out assistance from a counselor or other professional. 

You can find resources here:

SAMHSA’s National Helpline

SAMHSA’s National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders. 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org

Remember, you are NEVER alone. There is always someone that can help you or your loved one.
I wish you all a blessed and healthy Holiday filled with Family, Friends, and Food!

Tina

Redwood Whole Health Coaching

If you are interested in working one on one with a Health Coach, you can contact me for a free Health History Consult and find out more about working with me.