What a crazy year it has been! It seems like everyone has hit a rough patch at some point this year, and it can be really easy to throw yourself one big ole pity party. I actually found myself struggling recently and decided to share my struggles with my audience through one of my newsletters. Soon afterwards, I received an email from a follower who explained that she was unsubscribing because she wanted to surround herself with positivity and people who were going to make her feel better about herself.
That really stuck with me. Of course, it’s good to be vulnerable every now and then, but we can’t let ourselves get stuck in a never ending loop of a “woe is me” mentality.
So, today, we’re going to be switching gears and looking at how to jump on the joy train! Here are seven easy ways to refocus your mind and put some more joy back in your life…
- GET IT OUT
Sometimes you just have to give in and wallow. Before you can truly experience and feel joy, you have to be honest with yourself. Allow yourself to feel your feelings. Everyone goes through rough times, especially this year! Sometimes, you’ve just got to take time, give in, and have a good cry!
- CONNECT WITH SOMEONE
Once you’ve sat with your emotions, it’s time to connect with someone. It may be a little difficult right now to meet up with someone in person, but you can always give someone a call! Find that one friend who is your cheerleader. You know, that friend who has your back and can lift you up. Give them a call and take time to make a connection with someone that you love.
- IDENTIFY THE KRYPTONITE
With this tip, you want to find the thing that is bringing you down. Oftentimes, it creates this domino effect that if you can find the source of the unhealthy habit and fix it, it will make everything easier.
For example, I have a friend who was sharing that she was in the habit of having a big bowl of ice cream every night before bed. Well, she realized that this was creating a domino effect. Even though it was delicious, she was noticing that the sugar was keeping her up, and then because she was staying up late, she was waking up groggy and grumpy the next day. She was able to identify her kryptonite that led to a series of better choices and circumstances!
- GET MOVING
I like to call this “sweating off the crazies”! There’s nothing better than getting your blood pumping, your body moving, and your endorphins going to bring your pity party to a close!
Find something that you love doing–whether its walking, hiking, running, bicycling, mountain climbing, or whatever it may be–and make time for it! You won’t regret it!
- FIND THE POSITIVITY
Next, you will want to look anywhere and everywhere to surround yourself with positivity. From books to podcasts to playlists that makes you feel good, lifts your spirits, and makes you laugh.
Surrounding yourself with people and content that exude positivity, and your emotions will soon follow suit.
- LIMIT THE NEGATIVITY
At the same time that you are seeking out positivity, you want to make sure that you are also limiting the amount of negativity in your life. Whether it’s the news or certain friends, you need to learn how to turn the volume down in your mind and focus on the positivity that you are searching for.
- REACH OUT
Ask yourself…Is there something that I can be doing for someone else? Is there something that I can do to help someone?
Find ways that you can help others, reach out, and take action. Thinking of ways that you can others can really have a huge impact on your own wellbeing.
If you do a combination of these things, you are bound to ditch the pity party and jump on the joy train! If you want to learn more about how to exit the pity party or jump on the joy train, be sure to give Episode 11 and Episode 71 of the Fit is Freedom podcast a listen! We could all use some encouragement and positivity right now! So, let’s all work on finding more joy together!