Finding Joy in your day

The messages to return are piling up, the billing needs to be done, the meetings have to be booked, the conversations have to happen, let alone the kids need driving somewhere at the end of the day…wait…when will they have time for homework or will there be time to walk the dog? …and then there’s meal planing….

And then there’s Joy.

…..When do I have time for that?

Hitting the end of your week, or even just the end of the day and feeling like you’ve just escaped from a whirlwind is — I’m taking a guess here — not an un-common occurrence among the career-driven, business-driven or those just-trying-to-keep-up among us.

So when you realize that it feels like it’s been ages since you’ve laughed, days since you’ve had 15 minutes of peace and eons since you’ve felt joy in your heart, then these ideas are for you…With my sincere hope that it supports you to regain more of yourself in the midst of your busy life, career or business.

If joy, peace, a sense of self or some groundedness is what you seek, take a look at these ideas:

1) Acknowledge yourself for something great about yourself or something you did well.

This is about not moving to the next thing, skipping over wins or a kind gesture you made to someone. It’s about pausing to reflect on something you did very well such as: negotiated a great deal for your business, closed a large account, or landed a new client.

Or acknowledge something about yourself that you admire such as: I nailed that presentation - I’m proud of my presentation skills/how I position my ideas. Or, I’m proud of how I’m always considerate of others in meetings and allow everyone to share their ideas.

Take a moment - every day! - to recognize the good things you are pulling off and for WHO you are.

2) Having grateful thoughts throughout the day.

While being grateful for things like your health, family, friends, your home, your work or being able to afford a great jacket you just purchased, is powerful, there’s another way we can practice gratitude.

We can practice gratitude by shifting from negative thoughts to productive and empowering thoughts. Negative thoughts can weigh us down and make us see our situation in one way. Productive, supportive and empowering thoughts give us another perspective, and may even lead to finding a new way through a situation.

As an example: If you think, “I am feeling so overloaded by the amount of work I have,” and shift to “I’m grateful that I have the decision-making ability to handle this and have resources I can use to help me.”

Or, “I’m feeling overwhelmed by the amount of paperwork I have” to “I’m grateful I have so many clients who want to do business with me and my company.”

Practicing gratitude in this way, can help us see a situation differently. And, foster feelings that may lift us from heavy thoughts to those that help us feel we have more control in a situation.

3) Connect with someone.

This could be a friend, colleague, family member, or even a stranger who you have a friendly exchange with. Someone in-person, preferably, who you can have a human interaction with to share a friendly moment, to laugh with, and remind us that life isn’t all about work.

4) Compliment or Help someone.

This gets us out of our own world and circumstances and turns the focus on others - even for a few moments. And, if we’ve made someone else’s day that much more pleasant or easier, it makes us feel good. Notice the shift it has on you in the middle of a busy day.

5) Take several breaks.

If it’s possible for you, breaking up challenging tasks can give us the breather and break we need to relax, walk around and find another distraction for a few minutes. This recharges our brains and can get our problem-solving and creative juices going again for when we return to what we’ve been doing.

6) Inject a few minutes of silence in your day.

Whether it’s going for a walk, making tea, sitting and reflecting, simply being quiet and looking out the window, meditating, or savouring a healthful snack, these few minutes can rest the mind and body. It can help rejuvenate you by lowering the stress that you may have been experiencing. It’s a mini gift you can give to yourself.

I would love to hear what works for you to regain peace or joy in your day. I welcome any thoughts you may have on what works for you or what doesn’t.

I hope these ideas inspire you and support you —— or they may help you think of your own ideas.

NOW is YOUR time.

Ariana

PS: If you wish to receive support from me on how to incorporate these and other ideas into your workday, reach out and book a consultation with me. You’ll walk away knowing your next step to make it your reality.