Finding Joy in Uncertain Times
A Self-Inquiry Session
What is a Self-Inquiry Session? This is a sample of an exercise I run in all of my events. It’s all about asking ourselves questions to start the process of peeling back the layers and masks we’ve used to protect ourselves or hide behind and to get us closer to our truest essence.
It’s a process to get us out of our heads and into our heart-centered living.
It’s a remembering.
START HERE
Life, in general, can get crunchy, but when you throw a pandemic on top of our otherwise stressful situations - life is getting very serious. There are undertones of fear, overwhelm, guilt, pain…the list goes on - when was the last time you let yourself have fun? Play? Move? Do something you get lost in. Now, more than ever it’s important to come back a higher expression of our self.
ABOUT JOY
Joy is one of the highest emotional expressions there is and it isn’t something we have to wait for the right time or our dream vacation to access. We can inspire and invite moments of joy into our everyday life. I know, by now you are probably rolling your eyes and thinking, “I don’t have time for that”, “Life is too busy…too stressful….I have to may responsibilities to worry about this..” Trust me, finding and returning to joy can be one of the most powerful things you can do to improve your life.
Think about it, what is it about going on vacation that you love so much? Is it the new food, the finding quaint neighborhood coffee shops? Relaxing without feeling like you have to check in with work? Getting lost in a novel?
Can you find creative ways to incorporate the slivers of joy you experience on vacation at home, daily? Maybe it’s making your morning coffee a ritual, trying a new recipe, turning your phone on airplane mode and letting yourself get lost in a book for an hour.
While these might seem small and meaningless, anything you can do to shift the energy in the direction of joy will help you vibrate at a higher, will shift your mood, and make life a little less serious. And, correct me if I’m wrong, being an adult in a pandemic can get suffocatingly serious.
One of the things I’ve been enjoying that brings me immense joy has been coming back to my morning dog walks. When the birds are chirping, the streets are quiet and the sun is just starting to rise. It’s in these moments that I remember my wholeness and my potential. That I feel like I step away from the stresses of my day and invite in possibility. It’s when I get suddenly struck with ah-has, ideas, and breakthroughs I’ve even trying to crack in front of my screen for days.
Below are some of the prompts I’ll work through in my sessions that might help uncover what brings you joy. I invite you when you feel overwhelmed, stuck, stressed or fearful, to come back to this list and do one thing. One thing that your heart is begging for more of, that it can get lost in, and it can express.
LET’S BEGIN
Because I think the hands are an extension of the heart, it’s important to put pen to paper on these prompts. Invite yourself to write from the heart and notice when the mind (ego) starts to try and distract you. When that happens…dig in, keep writing and move to the next prompt.
Begin by taking a few calming, centering breaths. A round of five or more conscious inhales and conscious exhales. Let the breath breathe you and feel it.
Pick up your pen and let’s go! Finish the statements below spending at minimum a minute on each one.
SELF-INQUIRY: Grounding into Joy
I feel at ease when I….
I feel most alive when i….
I feel the most joy when I ….
I feel safe when...
For fun I like to….
I am curious about…..
My heart likes it when I….
My heart is asking for more….
Bring to mind a time when you remember feeling pure joy or bliss…what were you doing? Who were you with? What was around? List 5 simple things from that moment that you can practice or invite into any day
Write yourself a letter from your heart. It should sound something like this: Dear Laura (insert your name here), I feel most free and alive when we….I love it when we …Remember when we used to….We should do more….
THINGS TO NOTE
Don’t overcomplicate it. Your list can include simple joys like getting outside and walking your dog, feeling the morning sun, the smell of the ocean. Also, know that if being outside is not on your list…it should be. Think of how you like to creatively express yourself. We are most connected to our intuition and our truest expression of self when we are creative and creativity can look different to everybody.
SO, NOW WHAT?
Above you have prompts that hold the clues to what you like to do when you are expressing as the highest version of yourself. If you are having a shitty day, doing one of the things on your list might not take you from sadness to elation but it will start turning the ship around.
Keep your list handy and see how you can start inviting more joy into your life in these uncertain and unprecedented times.