Greetings!
Happy New Year to you! We hope that you're having an enjoyable winter.
The transition into a new year is a great time to focus on the good in our lives and all that we have to be grateful for. But sometimes − that's easier said than done. In this newsletter we'll share with you tips for increasing your awareness and expanding your experience of joy in your life.
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Making Room for Joy
Many people struggle with allowing themselves to experience joy when it comes time to acknowledging an occasion or accomplishment. We've found that it's not unusual for people to feel anxious and conflicted at times like these. But being able to experience happiness is essential to our well being. Researcher, Dr. Barbara Frederickson, has shown that there is a "positivity ratio", a tipping point which can mean the difference between languishing and flourishing. Simply put, we need to be more comfortable experiencing joy! Here are some steps to help you do just that:
Step 1: Becoming Aware. The key to experiencing more happiness in our lives begins with becoming more mindful of our present moment experience of our feelings. It involves noticing when we feel happy, or start to feel happy, and how we respond to that awareness. By tuning into your body, you may detect that happiness makes you nervous or uncomfortable. If this is the case, you may be doing something to avoid the discomfort and, in the doing, you're avoiding your happiness as well. The next time you start to feel happy, stop and notice how you respond.
Step 2: Taming the Fear. If you do feel uncomfortable, the next step is tolerating and taming your discomfort. While it may seem counter-intuitive, by identifying and then staying with and allowing the discomfort you will ultimately be able to get rid of it. One powerful thing you can do when feeling anxious is to notice and slow down your breathing. This step will need to be repeated if you continue to notice any discomfort. However, with practice your discomfort will melt away more quickly and soon it will disappear entirely.
Step 3: Feeling it Through. Feeling it through is about acceptance and involves slowing down and making room for your experience. An attitude of acceptance toward your happiness can free you up to more fully experience it. Only by slowing down will we be able to feel our joy in the fullness of the present moment. Making room is about making some internal space for your happiness and noticing how it feels inside to allow the experience of joy. The more space you give it, the more you'll experience. And, little by little, the joy in your life will increase.
With continued practice you will notice that each of these steps will become easier. By starting now, you'll be on your way to reaching the positivity "tipping point." If you're interested in making a more concerted effort to experience more joy in your life, we invite you to check out our new audio CD, "Making Room for Joy."
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