From Sad to Glad in Nanoseconds
by Jan Lundy
Not to drag you down or burst your holiday joy bubble, but are you aware of how many people struggle with sadness this time of year? You, in fact, may be one of them. And, if not you, I’m willing to bet that someone you know is struggling with “the blues” right now ...
The reasons for sadness are myriad. We may have lost someone we love in the past year and their absence weighs upon our heart. We may be experiencing financial woes and can’t do all that we’d like to in terms of giving, traveling, entertaining. We may feel lonely and isolated with no one to share a holiday celebration with.
Or—and this is the category many of us may find ourselves in—the “season” has become too much to handle and we’re feeling stressed. Sadness can be a symptom of undue stress.
So, here’s the rub. The season is short. The feelings are deep. We may feel like we should “snap out out of it,” so we don’t lose time, disappoint others, or miss out on the celebration of the season altogether. What’s a woman to do?
My solution? Get connected with your calm, clear, wise self through simple practices that root you in feelings of simple happiness.
After all, sadness is a “mind state,” a unique combination of body sensations, thoughts, and emotions. We can observe these and successfully transform sadness if we know how.
Sadness is a state no different from anger, fear, worry, jealousy, or any other strong thought/feeling pattern. We just need to know how to respond to it. Not react, but consciously respond with clarity and wisdom. And when we do, our life can look and feel completely different. Literally (unless we are chronically and medically depressed), we can begin to be aware of sadness-tinged thoughts and feelings and shift them. We do this with conscious awareness—recognizing them and then choosing to turn ourselves in a different direction.
We can do this by using gladness-infusing practices. Here’s one for you to try. It’s an enjoyable and easy-to-use practice. You might be surprised at how simple it can be to shift from sad to glad—in nanoseconds. Try it and see!
“Play I Spy”
I invite you to join me in a game of playing "I Spy" to uplift your spirit.
Do you remember the children's game "I Spy”? I often played it with my brothers and sister in the car while traveling. It helped pass the time. It helped us hone in on our world—to pay attention to the majesty and delight all around us.
"I spy with my little eye ... a cow!" someone would say. "I spy with my little eye ... something purple!" and you'd have to guess what it was.
Want to play? Step outside. Take a breath. Take several. Look around.
Then focus on something, see it clearly. Allow it to touch your heart, to open you to yourself and to the beauty of this world. An "I spy" mindset can provide a new view of reality.
Allow your eye to roam around some more. “I Spy” something else and see it clearly. “I Spy” again and get in touch with wonder. “I Spy” once more and feel gratitude.
The Buddha said, "If we could see the miracle of one flower clearly, our whole life would change."
I believe this to be true. And it’s also true of sadness.
"Gladness can be mine, one choice at a time," is a wise mantra for the holidays, don't you think?
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If you enjoyed this simple sadness-shifting practice, you may want to take advantage of our new 30-day E-course sent directly to your Inbox each day: “What To Do When You’re Feeling Blue: 30 Days of Insights and Practices to Change the “Hue” of Your Life.”
It’s co-sponsored by Buddha Chick Life and AwakenedLiving.com (Editor, Jan Lundy’s official website) and you can learn all about it HERE.
It’s co-sponsored by Buddha Chick Life and AwakenedLiving.com (Editor, Jan Lundy’s official website) and you can learn all about it HERE.
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