“There’s no joy in Mudville” is a line from the poem “Casey At The Bat.” Today there doesn’t seem to be joy anwhere in the world.
But GenuLines reminds you can build a foundation of joy, even in an age of social isolation.
(listen to this article by clicking on the radio image or scroll down to read)
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You Can Find Joy In Challenging Times
They are life’s ups and downs. A constant fluctuation of emotional highs and lows.
We spend most of our time in a rather even, mundane state of emotional normalcy.
This is broken up by peaks of the best times and unfortunately, valleys when nothing goes right.
The lows of everyday life are tough. But in times of crisis such as a worldwide pandemic, they only intensify.
Daily news of death, isolation, fear, grief, and loss can strip us of our joy. And, this can lead to depression.
While you can’t control what happens outside your door, you CAN control yourself. There are things you can do to maintain a positive and even joyful mindset.
Let’s look at three of them.
Surround Yourself With The Right People
It’s often said that we are the sum total of the five people we surround ourselves with most often. If so, make sure you get the right people around you.
Many times when life is beating us up, we retreat into the solitude of our home. We want to throw the covers over our heads and be alone with our thoughts.
Sometimes periods of solitude are healthy and necessary. Right now, isolation is the norm as we experience a health crisis.
But when you find your spirits cratering you feel robbed of your joy. So connecting with joyful types is crucial.
It’s not hard to stay connected to them during Shelter In Place orders. Technology has seen to that.
• Face Time on iPhones and Video calls on Android
• Skype
• A simple phone call
• Email
• Text
• Zoom and other video conferencing software can safely bring together friends and family.
• Good old-fashioned letter writing
Remember That Nothing Is Permanent
The time-honored adage says “THIS TOO SHALL PASS.” It would suggest that nothing in life is permanent.
So we tend to see extreme happiness and joy as temporary, and we play them down.
Yet keeping this expression in mind during the low times can be very beneficial. Whatever you’re going through, no matter how bad it may be, it WILL pass.
And consider this. Most of the difficult times you experience in life will end without any extra effort on your part.
It’s so easy to get into a mindset of having to put out a huge amount of effort to make something bad go away.
This is possible but most of the time TIME is the only remedy for tough situations. To maximize your joy in hard times, remember that your situation is not the way things are.
It’s the way they are RIGHT NOW.
Base Your Happiness On Yourself
So far we’ve discussed how life takes us through highs and lows. And that nothing lasts forever.
There’s one more thing to keep in mind during the best AND the worst periods.
To have more consistent joy never let your circumstances dictate your attitude.
Elation in good times and near despair during the bad can cause emotional exhaustion.
Stable, consistent, sustainable joy can only be created and found within yourself.
Life is far less about what happens to you than it is how you react to it.
You are in charge of how you feel. Don’t fall into the routine of letting happiness get to your head and failure to your heart.
JohnK 4-15-2020
Overheard: “Joy is untouched by circumstance” ~Anonymous
Article image by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
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