*What's the difference between following our joy, and mindless self-indulgence?*
Here's what I'm thinking about this morning, and hang in with me if it takes a minute for me to articulate. I'm being harsh with myself this morning, because last night was a night of satisfying my craving for instant gratification, which, I'm realizing, distances me from truly following my joy. It leaves me with the question of how to take care of myself in the minute without giving in to unhealthy comforting, which last night took the form of more than one serving of french fries and a chocolate lava cake at work. Both of which made me feel euphoric in the moment and horrible about 5 minutes after.
I think where this brings me is to the importance of following SUSTAINABLE joy -- not just joy-in-the-moment, which can lead you to actually feeling worse about yourself in the long run. It's the difference between a tempting one night stand (and then beating yourself up for days) and a fun night with a new person with no physical action....yet. :-) The difference between smoking or drinking (or eating) when you're bored or lonely and going to the gym or calling a friend and going for a walk. And yes, the difference between a plate of fries (ok, ok, with CHEESE on them no less) and a chocolate cake versus feeding my body small amounts of good food because I'm hungry, not because I'm bored.
So not only is it seeing the big picture, but I realize there's also a piece about tuning into ourselves in the moment and finding where we are and what we need. Last night my body wasn't craving french fries and cake -- it was feeling a little lonely, a little burnt out, and a LOT tired. How can I nurture myself in that place and REALLY get in touch with what I need to feel joyful, instead of throwing a band-aid over the wound for the moment and then feeling bloated and heavy (and still lonely, tired and burnt out) the next morning?
Today I plan on finding joy by:
*connecting with my circle sisters during the circle I'm leading this afternoon
*putting my face in the sun when Bella and I leave the house this morning
* getting a 20 minute foot massage after Circle on my way home
much love and light,
Britt
Check out www.InArmsCoaching.com for more ways to find joy in your life....
Britt~It appears that you write how you live, truthfully and from your heart. I don't know a single woman who has not struggled with cultivating sustainable joy, and I know I for one always benefit from loving reminders to return to myself for the source. Much love and JOY to you always~Shannon
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful post. A good question to keep in mind and in heart as we move through our days. Being in my joy is for me about being present in the moment, whereas indulgence tend to be about avoiding the moment, quelling some anxiety or other discomfort. As Shannon says, staying in touch with the source. yay circle sisters!
ReplyDeletea nice reminder to set for intention from this new moon to the next full moon. Wishing you "New Moon on Monday" by Duran Duran! xo, Chris
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