Category: Deal with Dark Clouds

Joyful Living

Sunny Simon 8 Comments

happy girl at sunset
Last week my friend Irma posted a You Tube link on Facebook that brought me great joy. On a dark and dreary winter day somewhere in Moscow, a wedding celebration flash mob occurred. The dance was choreographed to “Puttin on the Ritz,” a snappy song written in 1929 by Irving Berlin. What a memorable way to mark a special day in the lives of a young couple and spread joy to the Muscovites and the rest of the world as the video went viral. I had to give those crazy kids beaucoup credit. Living in Southern California, the land of perpetual sunshine, I could not imagine Mother Nature daring to rain or snow on a bride and groom. Yet, across the globe the bridal party in white finery, ignores the bleakness and light snow flurries. They dance joyfully as if the wedding reception were held on the patio at the Ritz Carlton in Miami Beach. Well done young people!

The creation of a flash mob which according to Wikipedia is “a group of people who assemble suddenly in a place and perform,” remains one of the greatest internet trends. The first time I opened a link to a flash mob I had no idea what to expect. Pressing play my eyes became riveted to the screen as the Opera Company of Philadelphia performed “Hallelujah!” in Macy’s as a random act of culture. I was so excited about the concept I immediately wrote “participate in a flash mob” on my bucket list.

A joyful event has a magic about it that serves to chase away even the darkest cloudy mood. On days when I need a pick-me-up you can find me surfing around the You Tube channel to watch a few of my favorites. Observing the faces of passers- by as they watch with huge grins and begin bouncing to the music fills me with delight. Viewing a flash mob scene is therapy better than a 50 minute hour in a therapist’s office.
Learn to excel at creating joy. In her book, “The Joy of Appreciative Living“, author Jacqueline Kelm offers the reader a 28-day blueprint to make a life change by focusing on appreciation. One of her key suggestions is to query yourself each morning and decide on one thing you can do during the day to increase your joy. Think about that for a moment. It can be a simple act such as taking the time to play catch with your dog or making a lunch date with a good friend. Puppy with frisbee
By answering the question daily your focus shifts to continually creating joy. Furthermore, whatever you focus on grows.

Why not begin such a habit today. Start focusing on creating joy. Have a nasty morning commute? Switch on the comedy channel on Sirius radio in your car or listen to an insanely funny morning DJ. Try waking up your vocal chords by singing your way to the office. According to the internet news media company BuzzFeed.com, the rock band Journey’s song, “Don’t Stop Believing,” is a classic happy tune to belt out in your automobile. Getting the rest of your carpool buddies to join in will heighten the fun.

Got the Monday morning blues? Decorate your office or cubicle with photos that conjure up happy memories; or start thinking Friday by planning a weekend getaway. After that boring salad you consume for lunch, pop in a piece of decadent dark chocolate to give you a serotonin boost.
Beautiful young brunette with long hair eating chocolate

Get visual. Create a vision board or sign on to Pinterest.com and fashion a bulletin board of images that delight your imagination. Spread the joy by sharing your pins with your friends.

Tired on Netflix binging? Spend your leisure time on a new hobby. Learn to play the guitar or form a book club. I’m thinking of investing in a set of drums. My philosophy is not only learning something new, but beating on a set of skins can release any pent-up stress I may be carrying around.

Speaking of stress, finding one thing to do each day to decrease stress can also bring you joy. If all else fails, watch a flash mob, or better yet create your own and invite me to be in it. I promise it will bring you joy.

Break the Cycle of Negative Thinking Patterns

Sunny Simon 9 Comments

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Ever watch two kids get in a tussle and be given a time out? I witnessed this occurrence recently. Sentenced to separate spaces two little boys tearfully dragged their tiny feet to the appointed corner to wait out the clock. What happened next can only be attributed to the blissful innocence of childhood. Thirty seconds into the time out Little Boy A became totally entranced in the scurrying of a large ant as the insect traversed the wall. Meanwhile, Little Boy B found his neon green shoelace an interesting object to remove from his shoe and twirl around his fingers. What was supposed to be a quiet time of reflection and repentance was quickly converted into exploring other options.

When the bell went off signaling punishment was over, both boys were told to apologize and shake hands. They did so grinning and giggling probably not even remembering or caring about the earlier disagreement. It never occurred to them to hold a grudge or debate who was wrong.
Four-year-old boys of twins, in white linen shirts, one embraces another, isolated on the white

Children have the innate ability to quickly move on. No muss, no fuss, no hard feelings. They simply resume fun and frolic. Not always the case with adults. We sometimes dwell on frustrating situations long past the event. Ever catch yourself replaying an incident over and over in your head like a bad dream? Complaining about the injustice to anyone who will listen? How about the inability to quickly rebound from making a mistake, losing a sale or missing an important deadline?

Whether you mentally beat yourself up for a blunder, or cling tightly to the memory of an unfair situation, it’s time wasted! Not only are you running down the clock when you could be doing something far more productive, pondering over provoking incidents can lead to depression. The technical term for getting caught up in a cycle of negative thoughts is rumination. Stop and think how counterproductive this is.

The late Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, who taught psychology at Yale, noticed women, more than their male counterparts tend to spend countless hours over-thinking negative experiences. Replaying the scene over and over in your head is like repeatedly watching a bad movie. Not only are you punishing yourself, the act of ruminating accomplishes nothing because nothing changes.

When you find yourself cohabitating with this negative intruder inside your head it’s time to take action. You can get from stomach-in-knots anxiety to peaceful calm by applying one or more of the following strategies.

• Reframe the situation by examining it objectively from 30,000 feet. If you lost the big sale, make a physical list of the reasons your customer said no. Perhaps there were things you could have done differently. Make note of those actions and consider it a lesson learned. Next, remind yourself the past cannot be changed. It’s over, time to move on.
• Change the scenery. Get out of your head and make plans with the most positive person you know. Being around an optimist will help you shake the negative cobwebs from your psyche.
• Change the channel. That’s right, do something to distract yourself. Dive into that novel on your night stand or head off to the gym. Bake some cookies, go for a bike ride or watch a silly sitcom. Surely there is something more worthwhile that requires your attention.

Side shot of woman on bike

If all else fails and you are determined to ruminate on a situation, time it out. Get out the kitchen timer and allow yourself 45 minutes to acknowledge your displeasure. Then, when the bell rings signaling you’ve spent the better part of an hour fretting and employing negative self-talk, stop the nonsense. Come out smiling like the little guys after their time out. Let your negative thoughts evaporate and focus on the positive. Now, go do something that makes your heart sing!

Finding Your “X”

Sunny Simon 6 Comments

Aisalynn Ballerina

I proudly watched my three year old niece, Alina, perform in her first ballet recital. She did a good job executing the steps, although at times she scampered around as if in search of something.  Later, her mother explained what caused the confusion. Apparently Alina was looking for her “X.” The teacher assigned each child a color coded X as a home base. The dancers were to return to the assigned X at designated points in the performance.

Understanding the dilemma, I could relate. It is not always easy to find your place, whether it be in the school auditorium or the world’s stage. Without a plan to guide you, life can be baffling. At times we spin our wheels trying to find the right path. In other instances, we remain happy in a comfortable situation until unexpectedly life throws you a curve ball and shifts. Suddenly we are no longer in that perfect place.

In baseball, a curve ball is a pitch thrown with a characteristic grip causing the ball to dive downward just as it reaches the plate. This pitch often finds the batter swinging at air.

Baseball through broken glass window.

Sound familiar? Do you ever feel like that prized pitch just passes you by and you go down swinging? It happens. Adversity strikes and when it does, how should we regroup? Here are some strategies. Begin by:

  • Accept that life is full of surprises. Change is imminent. No matter how diligent and proactive we are, eventually life throws us a dreaded curve ball making it necessary to change course.
  • Know that your comfort zone will continually be challenged. At times you’ll get knocked off balance or maybe find some other kid standing on your X. Acknowledge the change. It happened. You cannot un-pitch a ball.
  • Spend some analyzing how the occurrence will impact your life. It’s time to take a breath rethink and regroup.
  • Become a list maker. It helps to problem solve on paper. Take a step back and view the situation from a broad perspective. Let your creative juices flow and capture your ideas in writing.
  • Next, put down your pen or save the document on your computer and take a break. Go for a walk, hit the gym or head out to your favorite coffee shop.
  • Once you have cleared your head with another activity, return to your list. Analyze your ideas and rank them accordingly. Which strategies seem the most viable?
  • Time to call for support. Invite a mentor, coach or trusted friend to review your work. It is possible your confidant will see an angle you missed and offer up a solution that did not occur to you.
  • Decide on a strategy and create an action plan by breaking down tasks into bite size pieces. You might be setting off in a direction that seems completely foreign to you. Relax, often making a left turn is the right thing to do.
  • Practice resilience. We are wired with built in survival mechanisms. It may take some deep down digging, but in tenuous situations find the sweet spot that propels you in a new direction.
  • Remain optimistic. There is always something positive to be gained.
  • Lastly, have a little faith. Believe in yourself. When your X becomes hidden, gets usurped or is obliterated by the curve ball, do not give up.

Our tiny ballerina Alina stayed the course until she found her home base.  Although lost for a moment, she recovered. And so can you.