How to be happy right now
I love this time of year. The necessary lightness that comes after yom kippur leading into the full joy of sukkot.
Building and decorating the sukka. Moving out of our homes and into the sukka. The simplicity. The outdoors. The smell of the etrog. The festive singing and dancing. And on and on.
But this year is different. We are under lockdown. The very ground underneath us seems shaky. We can all feel the uncertainty.
When will this end? Who will get sick? When will our lives return to normal?
How can we feel joy at a time like this????
The truth is that joy is not dependent on your external circumstances. Joy is actually an inside job – dependent on your thoughts, feelings, and attitudes about life.
But that just begs the million-dollar question:
How can we create joy in our life?
In my opinion true joy begins with gratitude. Learning to appreciate what we have.
In fact I often recommend that my clients create a gratitude practice where they list 5 things they are thankful for each day. I recommend performing this ritual upon waking in the morning.
It’s so easy to find things that spark joy. Our loved ones are obvious targets. Our homes, neighborhoods, communities are also great to list. But I often focus on really simple things like my cozy blanket, my favorite tea, the breathtakingly beautiful path I walk each morning or a yummy scented oil.
Maintaining this practice, especially in the morning sets you up with an attitude of gratitude that can accompany you throughout the day.
An attitude of gratitude is actually good medicine.
Feelings of gratitude and appreciation help replace stressful thoughts. This is important for lowering stress levels and boosting immunity.
These positive emotions of gratitude and appreciation are also great for heart health and creating what’s called cardiac coherence. Cardiac coherence means that our heart rhythm is smooth and its variability (changes in heart rhythm) is expressed as gentle rolling hills (like a sine wave).
Cardiac coherence is associated with better mood, hormonal regulation, and clear thinking.
On the other hand, negative emotions like anger, frustration, and insecurity create erratic heart-rhythm patterns and also increase stress hormones and blood pressure while weakening the immune system.
To learn more about how appreciation can create better health click here.
To access a step-by -step explanation about how to create an attitude of gratitude click here.
Appreciation and gratitude are the keys to joy. They are also the keys to feeling calm, thinking clearly, and better health.
Let’s all find joy this sukkot – by rejoicing in what we have.
