On Happiness, Sadness and The Spaces Between

 As we slowly point the lens of our hearts + minds towards life that inspires us...we slowly rewire our hearts + minds into grasping a firmer hold onto a ground of deep inner happiness. 

This October, my heart + mind has enjoyed diving into a 28 Days to Joy  course with Jodi Chapman and Dan Teck. 

This morning, I woke up to Marty, who bless his heart, accidentally knocked his feet into my flimsy plant shelf of precariously perched crystals. 

He mumbled a sweet, sleepy sorry as I rolled over to snuggled back and close my eyes. Then I was quickly reminded of my nature of being a super light sleeper. The drop of a coin could have me sitting straight up in bed, no joke. It's wacky. 

Anyhow, a bit irked with my sleep (not Marty) and in denial of my realization that my sleep hours were possibly over, I decided to set my alarm in case I fell back asleep. And, of course got sucked into smart phone time...but, all and all, it was for the best, and I would like to share with you why.

I decided to start my day with the Joy course, as it seemed like a nice distraction from my early morning inner grumblings. Luckily that only lasted a few minutes. 

Anyhow, I stumbled upon an article from Huffington Post called, How to WireYour Brain For Happiness. It speaks on the power of focusing on the positive, which also happens to be our theme for the day in our Joy Course. Love it when that happens <3

Anyhow...science also believes we can teach ourselves to be happier people! Not that We need science for proof, but, it is still very cool.

I think it is important to touch on how seeing the reality of the world we live in all its forms, is very important. 

We are dynamic creatures. 

Without sadness, or neutral emotions, there may never be a point in which to recognize Joy, and vice versa. 

In my heart, these dynamics are as natural and needed as the breathes of the seasons. 

There is a time to be sad, for starkness and a state of depression. There is beauty in winter, there is a beauty in darkness.

However...if you feel your heart over- dwelling in schmutz that you would like to free yourself from, this framework may be of great value if you are able to lift up and out just enough. 

This is not intended as a way to simply say, "don't feel depressed, think positive!". 

There are individuals out there who truly need medicines to help bring a balance to their physical/emotional states.

If this speaks to you and your chemical make-up, I truly hope you feel good and thankful for such medicine (be it herbal or conventional), and most definitely not embarrassed. 

There are herbs, nutritional changes and conventional drugs that really may help you to feel better. If you are someone who is unsure if this speaks to you, I highly encourage you to see a health care practitioner of your liking to help lift you up.

You deserve to feel joy if joy is what you desire. For some, it is hard to wake up in the morning without a feeling of dread, difficult to find the motivation to get dressed, leave the house, or your bed for that matter. 

During my experience in clinical settings as an herbalist and aromatherapist I have worked with individuals who share such feelings. I feel for them and try to support them, no matter what their methods are. 

So, that being said, I wish you a  Sunday filled with love for yourself, the day ahead and the potential of the world around us <3 If that is what you are feeling....

Read this Huffington Post article, How to Wire Your Brain for Happiness!

Here is a link to Jodi and Dan's 28 Days of Joy e-course that is going for the rest of the month, I am pretty sure you can sign up any time it is running. 

They may be offering it in the future as well, so definitely have a peek. I have really enjoyed it...it came in perfect time for me!