Picked up a random poetry book From the crowded shelf. Quick easy hour read: Delight and wonder. Then, Found…
12 Days of Mindful Tips + Resources: Day 10 “Lords a Leaping”
Good evening! On day 10 of our 12 day series, I want you to consider: what brings you joy?
Today is all about finding joy: “On the tenth day of Christmas,/ My true love sent to me/ ten lords a leaping,” (The 12 Days of Christmas lyrics © Walt Disney Music Company).
During the past nine days, we have focused on:
- Nine Ladies Dancing=Move for your heart, mind, soul
- Eight Maids a Milking=Finding purpose for each day.
- Seven Swans a Swimming=Self-transformation or Making Positive Changes
- Six Geese a Laying=6 Pillars of Self-Esteem (Mission Statement)
- Five Golden Rings=Promises/Goals for yourself (SMART Goals)
- Four=Identifying a Life Line Person
- Three French Hens=Heart, Mind, Soul
- Two Turtle Doves=Discovering Needs vs Wants
- One Partridge in a Pear Tree=Hope
When I imagine, “ten lords a leaping,” I picture in my head ten really happy teachers on the last day of school, or ten enthusiastic children waiting in line to see Santa Claus at the mall.
Joy is all apart of your journey to self-discovery. You have to have an awareness of what interferes with feeling joy in order to truly find joy in your life. Joy is part of your root system, your tree; your hope lies in the middle taking you upwards to a balance of joy and other emotions.
You can Google “finding joy” and find a plethora of articles to help you.
I found psychcentral.com author, Martha Bodyfelt, to be the most relevant to me today. She says, “Often, we get so bogged down with the stress, [overwhelming priorities], and emotional roller-coasters that we forget about all the things that we have going for us. But learning to find joy in your life, especially while navigating loss, is an incredible gift that you can give to yourself.”
I get it. Some days make it much harder than others to find joy. Those are the days you have to work at purposely taking time for yourself.
After a stressful morning of getting my girls off to school, I needed to refocus. I turned on YouTube and found my mediation playlist. The first one that came up was a “10 Minute Morning Meditation for Gratitude” by The Mindful Movement. This was exactly what I needed to refocus my thoughts and find my center. I watched the video, then wrote in my journal, ended with a prayer, and began my to-do list for the day, feeling so much more grounded. I had to take this time for myself in order to find joy and purpose again.
I have attached this “Gratitude Meditation” at the end of the post for your assignment today.
If you have not tried one of these guided meditations, I challenge you to do so! Practicing a daily ritual of mindfulness is imported to developing your root system. The more you take time to “just be” without distractions, the more likely you are to have positive interactions with others. Mindfulness practice, especially guided meditation, is one way to bring joy back into your life so you can be leaping like those lords from the “12 Days of Christmas”.
I always had a misbelief about meditation myself, until earlier this year when two counselors and a close friend recommended it to me. I never had understood the purpose behind meditation until I looked into it, tried it, and loved it. Since meditation had never before been in my life as a useful tool, I now love each opportunity I have to participate in just sitting still; it is a very useful activity for when I feel incredibly worried or upset about something.
Jon W from Everyday Mindfulness replied to a guest commentator in 2012:
“There’s a couple of misconceptions [about meditation] but don’t worry about that. They are not uncommon in the early stages of mindfulness practice. In mindfulness practice we are not attempting to stop thoughts. Thoughts are not the problem. How we relate to thoughts can be problematic though. Then you ask what the goal should be. There’s not really a goal. Mindfulness is not a goal-oriented practice. It’s not really about getting anywhere. It’s about being right here, right now, with non-judgemental awareness.”
For your daily assignment, please answers these questions from Martha Bodyfelt, who recommends the following steps for finding joy:
1. “What amazing things are in your life that you may have overlooked?”
“We don’t give ourselves enough credit for the things we have accomplished. Every day that you take control of your life, every day that you learn a little more about managing money and re-entering the workforce, every day that you get a little bit stronger and take care of yourself and put yourself first and realize that you are worthy of getting your confidence back and reclaiming your life is something you should celebrate,” (Bodyfelt).
2. “What is yours that nobody can take?”
“Answering this question establishes the solid foundation for celebrating what is good in your life. These answers are simpler than you think.” For example, my answer to this question is that I have God in my heart, I have my love of writing filled with opportunities for future success, and I have two amazing daughters who light up my days. Holding these blessings inside of me keeps me joyful each day.” (Bodyfelt).
3.“Write down 5 things for which you are grateful.”
“These things do not have to be extravagant. In fact, the simplest of things are usually the best, because they remind us that we are still alive and that we will be okay,” (Bodyfelt).
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- We have had our nine-year-old do something similar the past couple of nights in her journal after she has had bad days at school. She writes three good things that happened, three things (not people) she wants to change, and three things that she is proud about herself. For the latter, she wrote yesterday, “Good Me: creative, artistic, friendly.” When she finishes, she has forgotten her woes and is more ready to enjoy herself the rest of the evening.
- Here are my five things I am grateful for in my life: I went to dinner and visited with dear friends last night; our family is safe in a nice house with food to eat; I have stuck with my mindfulness series for ten days without fail, and I am enjoying writing each post; I am grateful for the Scentsy warmer I have on, filling my house with savory scent of spiced apple cider; and I have 77 wonderful subscribers out there in cyber land reading my words (thank you so much!)
- Now write your five items of gratitude. You can do one or two words in a bulleted list; you do not have to be as detailed as me. The point is to focus on your blessings each day and find gratitude in the little things.
Find time for you to do this for the next 21 days until it becomes a habit. Realize, you do not have to write in a journal, or do meditations. These are just my suggestions to you to help you find some outlet to remember your blessings each day. Do what helps you! Remember, going for a walk is also a good strategy.
Bodyfelt explains, “A simple habit can change your outlook. This is not a just-one-and-done thing, however. You must make this a habit in order for it to work. Some studies show that it takes 21 days of practice to make something a habit, but you will start to notice the change in your outlook in three days of writing.”
Schedule yourself time to find gratitude each day. This will help you achieve those SMART Goals you are working daily towards meeting.
Here is the meditation I did this morning. Try it if you are interested, or find your own guided meditations. There are apps available to download, or there are always lots of YouTube videos to search for the one that fits right for you.
Resources for you in finding joy:
The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by Dalai Lama, Desmund Tutu, and Douglas Carlton Abrams
The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book)by Don Miguel Ruiz
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle
References:
Bodyfelt, Martha. (2017, May 2).”How to Find Joy… Even When Life Is Feeling Awful”. Psych Central. Retrieved from: https://psychcentral.com/blog/how-to-find-joy-even-when-life-is-feeling-awful/.
W, J. (2012, December). “Guided Meditation vs. Non-guided Meditation”. Everyday Mindfulness. Retrieved from: https://www.everyday-mindfulness.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4409