The Art of Creating Joy - Go From Despair To Hope
Did you know that 82% of the Irish work force are suffering stress?
(This statistic was published in Irish Examiner in September last from a survey carried out by the International Human Resources consultancy Mercer)
Yes a humongous 82% of people who get up every morning and head into work are feeling tense, hassled , weary, unmotivated, burdened, and unwell ... And the frightening thing is that so many will become so familiar to this feeling that they will just accept it as a way of life.
The main symptoms of stress are having trouble sleeping, feeling run down, irregular eating habits, irritability and feeling isolated.
The top three causes of stress ( according to the International Stress Management Association UK) are Rush Hour and daily commute 45%, Work 34%, Managing balance between work and home life 31%.
If you feel you are one of the 82% and no longer wish to be this statistic read on!
How many of us go out of our way to experience joy on a daily basis ? What is joy ? And why is it necessary? And how would your life be if every decision you made was preceded by the question ... Will this bring me joy?
For me Joy is a feeling of delight, happiness, gladness, glee, exhilaration ,exuberance, elation ,euphoria, radiance .... A feeling that it is good to be alive .
How wonderful would it be to experience one of these feelings regularly.... Like on a daily basis .... Would that be too much ? Would it be ok to feel optimistic and joyful EVERY. SINGLE . DAY? I know that question will provoke some people who do not believe that is possible! However joy can be found in the simplest of actions or experiences .... Like going for a walk , spending time with your children in conversation or play, a cup of coffee with a friend, or taking time to notice and appreciate blue skies ( how happy was everyone in the last few weeks with our glorious sunny weather?)
The key is a mind shift - BELIEVING that you can experience joy on a daily basis and then DECIDING that you will. No matter what life throws at us, we as humans have the most amazing *superpower* to deal with it ... And that is the power to CHOOSE how we live life and how we react to events, people and circumstances.
We can choose to embrace life and feel joy and happiness ... Or not!
We can choose to let events that happen us prevent us from moving forward .. Or not!
We can choose to deal with the situations that are causing us stress ..or not!
We can choose our own feelings, actions and reactions and how wonderful is that?
How are you choosing to live your days?
Stressed, angry, grumpy? Believing the world is out to get you?
Or calm, joyous, optimistic, loving, caring, forgiving , and believing in the magic and goodness of life?
Can I suggest that you consider the possibility of experiencing joy and write down 10 things/people/activities that bring you joy and make a commitment to doing more of this or meeting those people on a regular basis - knowing that you have something to look forward to in a daily basis can and will lift your spirits. Enjoy your day !
Copyright - Gaye Moore Author of *#WOW - the art of creating joy * - you can find Gaye on FB , Twitter and Instragram