Day 32: Upward Spiral of Joy

Day 32 of my ‘8 weeks to a better bodymind challenge’

A week ago I made the commitment to road test a different mood boosting technique each day and what a fruitful experiment it’s been. Without doubt it’s had a real, tangible effect.

I still experienced moments of stress, irritation, frustration, and just plain old feeling down, all of which are a normal part of life and it’s not our goal to eliminate these feelings. But through it all I found myself smiling more often, being more present, feeling more alive to potential good, aware of the silver lining, and I’ve bounced back better.

What I find inspiring is that everyone in my life benefits from me thinking, feeling and acting in this way. I’ve witnessed that upward spiral of joy in action this week. And that’s what this ‘8 weeks to a better bodymind challenge’ is all about – reclaiming my vitality so that I can be the best mum, wife, daughter, friend and coach I can be.

If you gave some a go, I’d love to hear your observations.

Wishing you a happy day.

Suz xx

PS If you’d like to learn more about my 8 weeks to a better bodymind challenge, drop me a line at suzy@suzyreading.co.uk

Characteristics of Happy Families

In my reading today I came across a great snippet of recent research from the field of positive psychology into the characteristics of happy families. I hope you might also find it interesting. It’s inspired me to make some changes – perhaps it might get you thinking too? (more…)

What’s in your self-soothing toolkit?

I had an experience this week that totally knocked me off my centre and it served to remind me of just how important it is to have a toolkit of things that can help soothe and calm us.

While I have been writing recently a great deal about happiness strategies I think it is important to acknowledge that I am not saying that we should expect to find ourselves in a state of happiness all the time. There will be moments in our day, sometimes long stretches of time, where we are challenged by life and it is essential that we give ourselves permission to have what I call a ‘normal human reaction’ to life.

At times we will feel sad, angry, frustrated, lost, confused, anxious and all the other emotions that form the full gamut of expressions and this is ok. It is important to be real, to give ourselves time to feel and respond to what happens in our lives. While it is ok to have these feelings, we also need some strategies to help us soothe ourselves, to reconnect with our calm-abiding centre.

I’d like to share mine with you and hope that this might motivate you to articulate yours. If you are in a happy place right now then there is no better time to brainstorm because a positive mood enhances your creativity.

If you are not in a great place at the moment then it might help to sit down with a friend or have a session with a coach to help open your eyes to the calming and uplifting things that are available to you. (more…)

How to Design your Self-Care Ritual

Take a good look at the 12 strategies from Part One (gratitude, optimism, avoiding overthinking, practicing kindness, nurturing relationships, coping, forgiveness, flow, savouring, committing to goals, spirituality, caring for body and soul) and decide which ones resonate most with you – consider your personality, your strengths, your interests, your available resources.

Identify the top three that inspire you and find ways to practice those skills. Look for ways you can do more of it in your current schedule, prioritise it, actually structure it into DAILY life by making an appointment with yourself if necessary, set goals about it, get coaching to develop it, fully commit to it.

For guidance on effective goal setting techniques see my article entitled: “It’s time to review your New Year’s Resolutions: are you serving them and are they serving you?” found at www.suzyreading.co.uk (more…)