WANT TO HAVE MORE JOY?
Updated: Nov 15, 2022
If the door is closed, locked, double locked and nobody answer at the ring, how can joy come in?!
Invite Joy to the table.
Create the space, prepare your favorite meal, dress the table, add a plate, a chair, and send in the invitation… then, she will surely and joyfully (oh yes, she’s Joy after all) arrive.
“Sounds nice”, I hear you say, “but how does it actually work?”- Or maybe you’re thinking “this sounds insane, she must be some sort of weird hippy dippy woman” – or anything in between. Well, just continue read and I’ll go into details ;-) juicy details.
In my Ayahusca integration groups the theme of joy often comes in, either as an intention to partake ceremonies and as a post-ceremony goal. I recently had someone in my group who did not have any experience during ceremonies, even after 6 ceremonies, Ayahuasca just didn’t seem to be working for her.
I then asked her “what were your intentions”. She said “well, I see how my husband came back from a ceremony weekend so full of joy. That is what I want. I want some of that for me”
While certainly Ayahuasca can support you in that, healing what needs to be healed, released what doesn’t serve you anymore, connecting you with feelings of love, joy, connection and so on; She (ayahuasca) is not the only way to have more joy in your life. And even if you had great ceremonies and feel in a pink cloud, the pink cloud needs to be nurture and supported by daily practice, what we call integration (or part of integration, integration is a more complex and complete process, stay tuned for a blog about it).
So how can we get more joy in our life???
INVITE IT IN, IN YOUR LIFE!! Yes, here I am going back to how I started this blog. Invite the joy!!!
There’s a simple rule: what you give energy to is what you get.
We often are unaware of what we’re giving our attention to, and that often correspond to what we train ourselves to do on a daily basis. A quick example of something we all do (yes me too…working on that), is that we train ourselves in being constantly distracted, in dividing our attention. We may even practice yoga or meditation, but 1 hour a day versus at least 14 hours of checking the phone, scrolling social media, multitasking, eating while talking and so on…it’s a consistent training into shorten our focus spam. We are all pro of distraction. Can you see it? Ever thought of it? (if yes, Great!! Awareness is the first and necessary step for change).
Ok so stay with me. If our activities is what you put our focus, energy on and we train ourselves on becoming pro at that, so you can agree with me that sitting on your couch watching the news, stress about work, complaining about the neighbors and so on, are not conducive to joy (unless you do enjoy those activities..). In short, giving our time to what makes us miserable will not bring us joy.
So what does it? I will guide you through a series of questions to find what brings you joy and will share some tips on how to implement it.
1. CALL IN YOUR INNER CHILD. We often hear about healing our inner child, inner child work and so on. But what if this inner child also had something to teach us? What if we can bring back the enthusiasm, the playfulness? What if our inner child is waiting to be express into the world, reminding us to look around everything with the enchament of discovering it for the first time? To reconnect:
a. Remember what you liked when you were little
b. Re-learn to play and be playful
c. Take your favorite games out of the closet
d. You can also spend time with kids with the intention of learning how to play
2. EXPLORE NEW ACTIVITIES. What if you still do not know what is your true passion? What if your next favorite thig is behind the corner and you just need to find out? Go out, explore, check new places, try new things. There is a whole full buffet out there waiting for you while you are keep ordering the same pizza every night (hey nothing against pizza, I’m Italian after all ;-)
3. RE-CREATE. RE-IMAGINE. RE-DO. Use your creativity to twist little by little what you do, your daily activities and your interactions. Just try and error. Make a list of what inspires you, what you like, and what you do not like, let your imagination go wild and dream of anything that sounds exciting….maybe a big ice cream at the beach?? And then just Do it again
Now that we know how to find what brings us joy, how can we implement it?
As any new habits we need to start with feasible, measurable, and achievable steps, such as:
a. Set a reminder every day to play for 5 min
b. Put in your calendar your favorite event
c. Create reminder to do something playful
d. Book a new how-to fun class every week
e. Plan a regular gathering with friends to play together your favorite game
d. Create a 21 days/1 month challenge to implement more playful activities
And so on…
To sum up, to invite joy in your life you start with :
1) discover what brings you joy,
2) plan it into your life activities
This will grow your Joy muscles till it will become second nature and joy will infuse in all aspect of your life!!
May Joy be with you!
“If you choose, you can be joyful every moment of your life. It’s time you made your choice.” Sadhguru
I based this tips on the principle of Psychosynthesis. Psychosynthesis is the psychology of the soul. It is a transpersonal approach to personal growth and development.
Using the frameworks of Psychosynthesis for life coaching integration allows the client to find clarity from their journeys, cultivate harmony, peace, and joy in their lives and create a soul-led life to finally access the fulfillment and joy we have been searching for.
Who is Melissa?
Hey you! I am Melissa, a certified Psychosynthesis Life Coach, a jungle (Shipibo) trained Facilitator, and guide with a degree in linguistic and cultural studies. I lead clients through powerful transformations so they can begin living a life that is aligned with their values, higher purpose, and joy. I have found profound success in working with a unique blend of plant medicine ceremonies, transpersonal coaching, and yoga to implement dynamic change in my clients’ lives.