This month, Benefits and the Center for Excellence in Public Leadership launched the second “Grow with Joy” series due to popular demand. Led by Ina Gjikondi, the 1-hour sessions explore the habits and simple exercises that can help you incorporate more joy into all aspects of your life.
For those of you that can’t make it to the sessions, we brought the classroom to you! Below we share a simple exercise and 5 habits you can try this holiday season to cultivate more joy.
Exercise 1:
• Ground: Place your feet flat on the ground and straighten your spine.
• Relax: Bring your shoulders down.
• Open: Permit yourself to take a small 2 minute break and open your heart
• Widen: Focus a single spot and take 3 deep breaths. Your imagination and focus will widen.
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5 simple ways to cultivate more joy this season:
1- Create a Gratitude Jar
A gratitude jar is an inspiring tradition to start with your family or in your workplace. Leave scraps of paper out on a table with a pen along with a simple glass jar. . Anyone that passes by can write down message of gratitude about someone/thing. When your family or team is gathering together, open the pieces of paper and witness the spark!
2-Balance giving and receiving
Gifts are a beautiful ritual that symbolize appreciation and are an expression of love and care. Don’t forget to match that investment of time and resources with the inner resources you need for yourself. It’s not an act of selfishness; it’s an act of love towards yourself. So ask for every gift that you give, are you also receiving a gift from yourself for yourself?
3- Create a Joy Anchor
Joy Anchors are great ways to keep you connected to what evokes the feeling of joy. In our series, attendees draw a joyful picture on a wood block and keep it on their desk as a reminder. You can also place images or inspirational quotes around your desk or you can create your own art, making it accessible in the places you spend the most time.
4 – Have a DOSE of Wellbeing
Smiling and joy go hand in hand. When you feel joy you can release a “DOSE” of Wellbeing”:
Dopamine: We feel rewarded
Oxytocin: We feel connected
Serotonin: We feel praised (a cheap anti-depressant available to us)
Endorphins: We feel elation/euphoria
5- Especially important for children under 7
The science shows us that children until about 7 years old learn by observing the parents, teachers, the adult guides. This is a huge opportunity to develop new rituals and practices for celebration that create an important benchmark for your child’s future. For example, shift towards a ritual of less things and more experiences. This is a ripe opportunity. There is always an opening for changing things and developing new behaviors after that age, the strategies are different, it will require more repetitions to re-program our behavior.
