Cultivating Joy
Are you feeling the winter blues? Or, are you rundown by mundane or frustrating circumstances? This is for you.
I've had a long journey with stress and anxiety over the past few years. To the point of extreme physical symptoms. I tried ALL the things. I listened to tons of people who said, just have faith and be happy. Or, take a medication, or just 'get over it.' But that did not work.
I had faith. I had a good life. I thought I was practicing self care. But I was sick, sad and ready to give up.
But the one thing that has made the biggest impact, the thing that turned everything around (including physical symptoms) is what I call Cultivating Joy.
This does go hand in hand with my faith in God and comes right out of the bible. But goes beyond "just have faith and be happy." It was a process I had to learn and work hard at. I had to change my thoughts. I had to work hard to focus on joy. And I am so thankful for what I have learned.
I could share so much with you about what I learned and how I practice cultivating joy. But today I want to share one very practical part that you can easily add to your life right away.
A Cultivating Joy Journal
Any journal, notebook or paper will work. You do not need to buy anything, just find something you already have and get started.
Everyday I sit down and spend 5 to 10 minutes journaling. I usually do this while I enjoy a second cup of coffee, rather than mindlessly scrolling social media... But find a time of day that works for you. It could be while you are sitting in the car to pick up your kids from school, or just before you go to bed at night. Whatever works for you.
I don't just randomly journal. I specifically write down a list of 10 great things.
When I started this process I only wrote down 5 great things. Some days even 5 things was really hard, but over time it became easy and I increased to 10. If you struggle to get 10, just start at 5 and then build up from there.
I just sit for a few moments and think back over the last day. At first it might be hard to find things to write down. That is okay! But think of things you did, things that happened, something you saw, etc. that was positive and write it down.
Some things might be 'big' like "we went out on a date night and had so much fun" or "my seed packet order arrived in the mail!"
Somethings might seem 'small' or even silly like "the sink is empty of dishes!"
Both 'big' and 'small' things are prefect!
If you struggle to write down items, maybe you feel like it has been a really bad day, this is when it is actually MOST IMPORTANT to make a full list. This is when it is most important to show your brain that there are so many great things happening, you just need to see those things and not focus on the 'bad day things.'
Over time this process will become easier and this is how you know it is 'working.'
You will start to see the great and joyful things each day and put less focus on 'bad' things. This is the process of cultivating joy!
It will take time, but if you add this daily routine you will noticed a big difference!
This process has really helped me, but the key to recognize is not that anything in my life dramatically changed and suddenly more great things happened each day, rather my thoughts and perspective changed. I could see more of the great things that were already happening. This is cultivating joy. Training your mind to find and enjoy the great things in life. It might seem so simple, but if you give it a try I know that you will see just how impactful it can be!
You will see joy as the theme in so much we do on our farm, and in so much we share with you. this is because I've learned how much cultivating joy can impact our lives. I want to share that with you in everything we do! I hope you are blessed with abundant joy this year!
Let me know if you give this journaling a try. I would love to hear from you!
Thank you and God bless,
Abbie, Steve, and Family
