The Recipe BreakdownLemon: An absence of joy or general monotony. Sometimes, there’s nothing necessarily wrong with your day, it just feels…blah. I’ve found that on these days where it feels like there’s nothing to look forward to, you really have to create your own joy. It can be hard, but I promise that trying to make your own joyful moments can really work. Ingredient #1: Doing the thing. This is similar to last issue’s ingredient of listening to your intuition, but it’s sooo important for our self care and growth that I’m going to repeat myself a little here, and then get more granular. If you’re not feeling joy in your days, try to find a few minutes to sit with yourself and ask what your body needs. And then, do the thing. As you get more in touch with your intuition, try “doing the thing” every time you can. Stand up and stretch your body when it aches, even if you’re not done with an assignment yet. Listen to that song that’s been stuck in your head. Eat a snack. Do the thing that will make your body, mind, or spirit feel joy. Ingredient #2: Stop saving the best for last. Oooooh boy, this is one I struggle with in literally everything I do. My whole life, I have always tried to save the best for last. I would pick around the cookie dough in a bowl of ice cream so my last few bites could be jam packed with dough. I would avoid lighting my favorite scented candle, so I’d always have it in case the scent was discontinued. I wouldn’t write in my favorite journals, so I’d have them forever (yes I currently do this with planners, yes I am working on it). I’m not sure what happened but a few weeks ago, I stopped saving things. I now burn a candle next to my desk every day. I eat the best looking slice of pizza first. I am (slowly) starting to write in my many journals and planners. And it has made me much, much more joyful. Ingredient #3: Embracing untraditional community. This one can be harder than the others, especially in our panorama world. But I’ve found some untraditional communities that bring me so much joy. My friend Celeste started a DocuMEETary Club (like a book club, but for documentaries) and, despite not knowing anyone else in the group, it brings me so much joy being able to talk to new people about these documentaries. Since being vaccinated, I also rejoined a gym, and I feel so at home surrounded by my fellow gym rats. The endorphins of working out are great, but honestly, being surrounded by so many strangers silently cheering each other on feels just as good.
|
