Hi Soul Surfers,
I wanted to share a little this week on a topic that has been especially pertinent to me during the last year or so - (re)finding joy.
If you know me at all, you know I am a naturally joyous person. I always have been. I am happy, bubbly, joyful...and it's genuine! I have trouble vocalizing my good traits, but that is one I can admit to with confidence.
During my later years of college, though, I found myself becoming overwhelmed with the stressors of life. My light was flickering, as I started to lose what I consider to be my best trait. I started to lose my sense of self, because if I'm not happy, what am I? Who am I? By the time of my graduation from Pepperdine, I was on reserve battery life, joy-wise. I was jaded and exhausted. (Side-note: If I had gone to school anywhere else, my situation would have been 1,000 times worse. Pepperdine is the most wonderful and uplifting place, and kept me focused on God, even during stressful times. What more could I have asked for? Nothing.)
Upon returning home after college, I began to de-stress a little. I was finally able to see what was going on with me - this loss of joy. I remembered how, from as early as I could remember, I was so happy. I could find beauty and joy in anything and everything. I wanted that back. I wanted to be myself again.
I'm sharing this story, because I know I am not the only one who has felt this way. I also realize how important this quality is to our Spiritual, and even physical, well-being. So, how do we retrieve that joy we each had as a child? How to we "get back to ourselves?" Here are some tips I found helped/are currently helping me:
1. Pray - This is probably a no-brainer. If it is, I'm sorry. But as soon as I realized what was going on with me, I prayed to God about it. At the time, I didn't even really know what I wanted or needed from God...I just began praying. First, I prayed to help me "get back to my old self." Later, it became clearer to me that what was different within me was my lack of joy, so I began to pray to God to restore that joy. Even later, I began to pray to God to reveal ways in which I could restore my joy, which brings me to point 2:
2. Fill time with uplifting things - Part of (actually a lot of) what was bringing me down, I realized, was what I like to call "Earthly burdens." These are things that either cause worry, cause sadness, or are just general Spiritual buzz-kills. Many of these types of things, I realize, cannot be taken away or hidden from. For example, child hunger cannot be ignored; it is a real issue and needs to be addressed, even if it is a sad and terrible thing. However, many Earthly burdens can be managed and replaced with uplifting things. For instance, I noticed media was a source for all kinds of unnecessary stress in my life. Whether it was pressure to be "worldly," rather than "Godly," or maybe even TV shows or movies based on topics unfit for princesses such as ourselves, I found unnecessary burdens everywhere. The good thing? These can be replaced. I began filling my time with purposeful activities like spending time with my family or reading a great Christian book (or starting a blog...what?) Even though I am still a Pretty Little Liars addict, and am a sucker for a good Real Housewives drama-fest (shout-out to muh girl Vicki,) I began to see a dramatic difference in my joy levels. It's amazing how everyday activities we hardly even notice can make such a huge difference on our attitude and well-being.
3. Read the Bible - I will be the first to admit, I am the worst at this. I think it comes from a place of not being able to read two sentences without getting distracted, but whatever. No excuses. This tip helps so much. This probably won't come as a surprise to most of you, but did you know the answer to any question or trouble you are having can be found in this little book?! WHAT. Sometimes it still surprises me, and I don't know why. But I like it. It's a nice surprise. It is no coincidence that reading the Bible is going to make us happier. "Gospel" literally means "good news." Seriously, it's like a Vitamin D pill to the soul.
4. Remember - Look back on things that you did when you were a child, at your happiest. For me, I would sing. ???.....I don't know... I just remember, when I was really happy, I would always catch myself singing, or humming, or whistling a song. Lately, I've been finding myself doing that a lot, and that's how I know I am starting to get back to my happy old self. While you're reflecting, it also helps to store away a few really good memories. You can save these memories for a gloomy day, however, when your brain is in the "good-memory mode," at least for me, it stays that way for a while. It's hard for me to stop thinking about good things that have happened to me (blessings) once I have started. It's all in the way you train your brain.
5. Be nice - Doing little things for people is a great mood-booster. I know nice things shouldn't be done solely to make ourselves feel better, but who am I to argue against the fact that when I commit an act of kindness, I feel happier. If done from a genuine place, little acts of kindness can really help to bump up the joy factor, because you feel better about yourself knowing that you care for other people. It's a fact. Maybe not. I might of made that up. But it's true, isn't it? Have you ever written a heartfelt letter or held the door for an elderly person only to think "ICK. That made me feel terrible. Never doing that again...?"
Joy is not merely a nice accessory. It is a necessity. It give us strength. It is a virtue. It ties us in closer to the One who loves us. The One we strive to be like. Speaking from experience, it is also something to want, for without it we are.............unhappy.
I hope these tips can help you if you have lost some of your spark, or strengthen it if you have not. They have helped me get back to me and I am, once again, JOYFUUUUULLLLLLLL ( <---- data-blogger-escaped-a="" data-blogger-escaped-br="" data-blogger-escaped-imagine="" data-blogger-escaped-in="" data-blogger-escaped-singing="" data-blogger-escaped-that="" data-blogger-escaped-voice.="">
be happy,
becca
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