Bringing more joy to your life

I feel happy and joyous each and every day….

Can you hand on heart say that daily? 

What stops you from living in joy and happiness, is it your thoughts, is it your actions or is it belief?

Joy and love is available for us all on a daily basis.

As a little girl in elementary school, I said the word “can’t” to a teacher, I was told there is no such word as can’t!

Being cheeky and stubborn, (even at a young age) I uttered back to her, ok “I can not” however the first part of that is always CAN.

It’s stuck with me for life….She subconsciously sneaked into my mind and allowed me to believe that Can’t is not possible yet can is. I can see her now, what an amazing teaching that was……

Some times we forget and say, I’m not happy, I have no Joy.

What does Joy truly mean? It is more than a materialistic object that may bring momentary joy……..Real Joy is doing things that really light you up and make you feel alive, bring you laughter and doing things that create joyous memories, memories bring us joy when we can reflect back on that time, space, place and people……

Joy really is inexpensive and often free……

There is so much joy available around is and harmony in each and every day.

We have the ability to change our mood, mindset and feelings within an instant.

Did you know we each have 50 trillion cells in our wonderful body, they renew every 28 days and the more joy we bring the greater, healthier and happier our cells and bodies will be.

I want to share how you can enrich your life daily to create, have and be more joyous:

Find joy in the little things.

It truly is in the little things that you can find most joy and boost feelings of happiness. When you allow yourself to be joyful, it’s easier to find joy. While that may sound too good to be true, it truly works and works wonders. 

Feel the deliciousness of the fresh crisp air in the air after rainfall, rain after all is what enables the growth of nature. The smell of the fresh cut grass in spring. Treat yourself to Fresh flowers in your home and appreciate their true beauty. Savour the aroma and taste of yourfavourite meal and enjoy the presence of loving friends and family. Enjoy the smile of a child and all that they seek joy from, like collecting a shell from the beach. Taking a picnic on the beach or in nature. These are the little things that are too often taken for granted, yet they are great contributors to happiness and joyful memories.

Start each day with a smile.

This is more than a simple suggestion. It’s backed by science!!! When you smile, you not only trigger smile muscles in others, you also benefit, ever walked past a stranger who’s looking a little sad, you show them a smile and they instantly smile back.

Smiling activates neural brain circuits associated with well-being and happiness. It also feels good to smile, especially when you do it regularly. Every morning when I wake up I am greeted by a smile firstly from by dog who instantly instils joy at 5.45am and then my son, even though a soon to be teenager I always created space to be happy when we wake, even if tired as it creates a higher appreciation of the day ahead.

Connect with others.

The power of physical, social connection is often underrated these days as we simply sit, scroll and don’t connect with another human for days on end (especially if you are an entrepreneur which m any are these days).

To boost happiness and well-being, the connections of another person who you love to spend time with can bring you so much joy as you laugh, chat and share your dreams for your future. There is something called the “blue zones” in our world and these zones are the happiest communities and healthiest because of human connection. Loneliness is not fun and a big cause of disease and illness in our present life, so connect with more fabulous people who lift you up to improve your health and theirs.

 Do what you’re most passionate about.

If you’re doing a job that you adore, spending time with people who lift you up, find yourself doing more of the things you enjoy and spend time with your children and loved ones or participate in an activity with friends. Do things that literally bring you joy.

Pursuing your passions is highly conducive to increased happiness and, IT IS NOT selfish, when you do what you’re most passionate about, you’re helping to develop your own potential, self actualisationand broadening your horizons as well as a great contributing factor to higher self-esteem and overall well-being.

Reflect on your blessings and be grateful.

Everyone has something in their life to be grateful for. Sometimes we just forget to see,

Most of us have many, many blessings. A simple practice of daily reflection is enough to focus a few moments to express personal gratitude for all that we have in life. 

Many people find this hard, especially our elders, so heres a few examples of ow you can create more Gratitude : Good health, loving family, healthy relationships, a career that you love and are passionate for, to be in the present, eyes that allow you see. Thelist you can create for yourself is actually endless and of course personal. There’s also appositive psychology research that gratitude helps increase happiness, which helps protect you from negativity, anxiety, depression and lack.

Choose to be positive and see the best in every situation.

A positive attitude is also scientifically proven in positive psychology, as it increases our  happiness and well-being. Ask yourself today how can you develop a more positive attitude and learn to see the best in everything? (some days won’t be so easy but the more you practice the greater you will feel and will see more joy in so much more).

It does take practice and a willingness. If you’ve always seen life as a glass half-empty, or this always happens to me, or why me kinda person, then this will help you in some incredible ways. try to use a positive shift eg the glass is half empty, so I’m looking forward to filling it again. This isn’t happening to me but for me so that I can learn from it. If you are an angry driver!!!! Become calmer when driving, if someone cuts you up by accident, be thoughtful to consider you may have been in their blind spot rather than you assuming they are an idiot. Allow other little things to just be, it will keep you calmer and happier.

Take steps to enrich your life.

What do you really want to do that you have stopped yourself from because of FEAR!!!Seeking new knowledge, exploring a new country or city, pushing yourself to go beyond your current skill set or experience, striving to learn something new, meeting new people. — these things may seem scary at first if you haven’t been so open to the possibilities of new experiences, but not only will the enrich our lives but also maximise personal joy and happiness as well as gratification!

Create goals and plans to achieve what you want most.

If you expect or desire to achieve a certain standard of living, (self actualisation), receive a promotion, build your own business, run a marathon, buy a new house, or any other goal that you find meaningful and purposeful, you must identify the goal first and then create action plans to help you achieve what you want. Goals can only happen with intentions and actions and when goals are reached we create more meaningful joy in our lives.

Live in the moment.

The past is just that. There is no more time to worry about the past, what has been or what is unchangeable. This creates more anxiety. Instead, to add to your happiness and Joy, make a shift in your mindset so that you live in the present. Another way of saying this is tone present. A little tip here is as I’m sure you’ve noticed, when someone is talking to you do you or they scroll their phone? then neither are present, in the moment, or connected.

When you focus on now, this moment, you are more aware of your surroundings, your breath, how you feel, what’s going on with your loved ones, family, friends, co-workers, other drivers on the road and everything in your immediate environment. 

You’re alive and fully aware and grateful of it. Being present is a proactive way to increase your happiness and something anyone can do. (Leave the phone in your bag next time you meet a friend or go out for a date!) behavioural.

Be good to yourself.

Your body and life are good when you look at all of the above. Yet it truly is important to take care of your physical health and wellbeing as well as your external factors of nourishment. 

For example, Overeating, drinking too much alcohol, lack of good quality sleep, little physical exercise or movement arenot good for you physically or mentally. 

Instead, create a lifestyle that includes healthy behavioural habits such as eating nutritious foods and supplements (such as starting your day with a delicious smoothie with @rejuvenated protein to keep you fuller for longer and enriched nutrition, along with a collagen shot for skin health maybe),eat more of mother natures food, plants, fruits and vegetables and cut down or cut out alcoholic intake and see how this helps you to focus clearly and get quality sleep.Hydrate your body well, exercise regularly, find a workout that brings you joy and workout because you love your body not because you hate it. Take breaks from demanding tasks so that you can move often, create a better blood circulation and stimulate your brain. 

If you can implement more of these top 10 proven methods on a daily basis to bring you more joy, you will absolutely live a happier and healthier life for longer.

This blog is written by Alison Stockton

Health, Wellness and Lifestyle Coach, discover more about Alison and her lifestyle coaching here