10 Steps to Greater Joy

In Awakening Joy (2012), Baraz and Alexander describe ten steps to happiness, based on ancient teachings and current research in psychology, science, and habit change. Their Awakening Joy program offers a compelling overview of resources and practices to create greater joy - and release those habits and perspectives that no longer serve us.  

Step One: Focus Our Mind on Joy

When we focus on achieving goals and gratifying our desires as pathways for joy, the satisfaction rarely lasts very long – and we may find ourselves on an endless quest for the next moment of pleasure or met objective. Because everything is in a state of continual change, no experience or object can provide endless happiness. Therefore, awakening joy is not about changing our lives but is instead about training our mind to “live in a way that allows us to be truly happy with our life as it is right now” (pp.6-7).    

Step Two: Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a gentle observance of things as they are.  Mindfulness invites us to pause, notice our ever-changing thoughts, feelings, and body sensations, and bring curiosity to our interactions and experiences of living. When we cultivate mindfulness, we become present for our life. “When we are mindful, even the most ordinary experiences become wondrous” (p.35).

Step Three: Practice Gratitude

Positive Psychology and gratitude researchers have found that people who write down three to five things per day that they are happy about and grateful for are 25% happier than those who do not. 

Step Four: Find Joy in Difficult Times

Life is stressful, and many things happen outside of our control. When we are facing challenges, we do not want to pretend we are happy or deny our pain. We are happier when we allow ourselves to be mindfully present with our feelings as they arise, practice gentleness with ourselves, keep a wider perspective, and learn strategies to “stop the spin” of worry and fear.

Step Five: Act with Kindness and Integrity

When we are on autopilot, we may speak and act in ways we later regret. When we recognize that all actions have consequences – and choose to act and speak consciously with kindness and integrity, we can experience the “bliss of blamelessness” (p.121). Choosing to act with integrity also includes being true to ourselves and making choices that do not harm other or self.

Step Six: The Joy of Letting Go

This can include letting go of “stuff” we don’t need, beliefs we hold too tightly, our habit of being busy, our expectations of ourselves and others, stories that limit us, attachment to drama, and our need to be right. When we let go, we create space for generosity, creativity, and a greater sense of well-being.

Step Seven: Loving Ourselves

While we may easily identify a few things we like about ourselves, fully accepting and embracing ourselves as we are is often far more challenging. This practice may begin with forgiving ourselves and opening to the love and appreciation others have for us. It can also include taking good care of ourselves, practicing loving self-talk, and learning to treat ourselves with the kindness we would bestow upon a beloved child or pet.

Step Eight: Loving Others

Sharing a loving connection with others requires us to shift the focus off ourselves. Without a self-focused agenda, we can remain curious and open, allowing the person before us to be who they are and at ease in our presence. This step also includes forgiveness. When we open our hearts and practice lovingkindness for all beings, we move towards greater joy.

Step Nine: Compassion

“At its core, compassion is a recognition that we are all interconnected, that your suffering is my suffering, that when I see you in pain, my heart trembles” (p.240). Keeping our hearts open to the suffering of others takes courage, patience, and practice. Mindfulness practices can greatly support us in staying present with compassion, without shutting down, running away, or becoming overwhelmed.

Step Ten: The Joy of Simply Being

As we learn to deeply relax our body and mind, our natural capacity for well-being and happiness emerges. The experience of being may be described as resting in this moment, spacious, calm, restful, aware, and light. There are many pathways to sink into this relaxed, effortless presence. Some include connecting with nature and listening to the voice inside.

To learn more about the book or order a copy, visit Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Awakening-Joy-10-Steps-Happiness/dp/1937006220/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1429554639&sr=1-1&keywords=awakening+joy ]

Increase Your Energy Naturally

 by Dana L. Barron, PhD, Health Coach and Advocate

Do you find that you don’t have as much energy as you’d like? Do you have highs and lows throughout the day? Do you look to certain foods or drinks to give you a boost? Do you have trouble falling asleep, or staying asleep? Fatigue and low energy are among the most common reasons that people seek guidance from health care providers. They can be mild or extreme, but they are NOT inevitable. There are many natural and easy ways to increase your energy, and along with it your mood and your outlook.

Nutrition

The foods and beverages that you consume have a huge impact on your energy level. If you can stabilize your blood sugar throughout the day, you will be amazed at how much more energy you have!

Here are some tips (which are also good for weight management):

• Eat real, whole food rather than packaged or processed food
• Balance macro-nutrients (fats, proteins, carbohydrates and fiber) with every meal and snack
• Eat every few hours to get ahead of hunger
• Educate yourself - know what is in your food (read labels or consult reference sources like www.self.nutrition.com)
• Get enough fat (yes, that’s right!) But all fats are not created equal. Healthy fats, which are essential to energy and health, include fatty fish, olive and coconut oil, nuts and seeds. Include them in EVERY meal or snack. Avoid processed fats and most vegetable oils. Limit animal fats, especially from grain-fed animals. Choose pastured and grass fed meats.
• Limit or eliminate sugar (including fructose which is found in fruit), processed grains, and starchy foods. Choose complex carbohydrates from whole grains, beans and legumes, low-glycemic fruits, and vegetables.
• Watch out for hidden sugars (e.g. corn syrup, fructose, agave, and words ending in “tol.”) Read labels and know what is in your food
• Minimize processed foods and food additives which will zap your energy
• Limit caffeine, especially after noon
• Pay attention to the nutritional content of your food MORE than the calorie count

 Sleep

Most of us do not get enough. And it’s not just the number of hours of sleep we get – it’s the quality of that sleep that matters. We need periods of deep, restorative sleep to have energy and stay healthy. Take a good look at your “sleep hygiene” and find the areas where you can improve. Small changes can have big effects.

Here are some tips to train your brain to wind down around bed-time:

•  Set and maintain consistent times for going to sleep and waking up
• Get enough hours – this varies from person to person, and with age, but most of us need at least 7 or up to 9 hours per night
• Avoid stimulating factors in the hours before bedtime:
• “Blue light” from electronic screens is interpreted by the brain as sunlight. They tell the brain that it’s time to get up and go, not to wind down and rest. Shut them down (including your phone!) two hours before bed
• Caffeine within 4-6 hours of bedtime will make it harder to fall asleep and will diminish the quality of sleep
• Exercising too close to bedtime will stimulate your system
• Engage in relaxing activities that signal to your brain that it is time to wind down. Take a warm bath, read, listen to music, meditate, practice relaxation exercises, or do anything you like that relaxes and calms you
• Be sure your sleeping environment is completely dark and as quiet as possible
• Stabilize your blood sugar. Blood sugar drops are the main cause of middle-of-the-night wake-ups. Follow the nutrition tips above and have a nutrient-balanced snack at bedtime (protein, fat, fiber, complex carbohydrates).

Nutrient Deficiencies

Most of us are low in some essential vitamins and minerals. These deficiencies are huge energy zappers. Talk to your health care provider to see if you are getting enough, especially the following:

• Vitamin D
• Iron
• Magnesium and zinc
• B vitamins (in the right form for your genetic type)
• Iodine (for thyroid health)
• Antioxidants (for liver function and cardiac health)

Food sources for vitamins and minerals are best, but supplements may be helpful, especially for nutrients that are not readily found in our food supply.

This is a long list and it is easy to get overwhelmed. I suggest taking one area, or a few tips, and focusing on them for a week or two. Keep track of your energy levels using a log or diary. See what works. Most people will see changes fairly quickly. However, if your fatigue feels extreme, if you notice a sudden change in your energy, if you have other symptoms, or if none of these strategies is helpful, please talk to your health care professional.

Dana Barron is a health coach and advocate. She collaborates with clients to investigate the root causes of symptoms, apply holistic and natural approaches to healing, and enlist the body’s innate capacity to heal. She also supports clients in getting the care they need from their doctors and other health care providers. Contact her at 215-688-5108 or healingpathcoaching@ yahoo.com, or see http://www.theresiliencycenter.com/bio_dana-barron.html. 

An Invitation to Dance QiGong

By Karen Steinbrecher 

“Dear ones, let’s anoint this earth with dance!”  From a year with Hafiz, translated by Daniel Ladinsky.

I write this on a cold February morning with a vision in my mind’s eye of spring.  My vision is of green, seeds sprouting, with green shoots emanating from the wood, for this is the time of the Wood element in Traditional Chinese Medicine. We have transitioned to the Wood element. Let us celebrate!  Practicing Qigong enables you to let go of the increasing pressures, the fast pace of life, and bring you back, in touch with yourself.

We, you and I, are the Earth, and we are Heaven, we are the Universe.  When we practice the healing dance of Qigong, we work (Gong) to balance Yin (Earth) with Yang (Heaven) as we align body, mind and spirit. This is the essence of Qigong:  a total absorption of the senses and spirit. With this absorption comes a rebalancing.  Research indicates that regular Qigong practice can help eliminate some types of chronic pain, reduce the need for medication, shorten postoperative recovery time, let go of stress.

Qigong reminds us to be like a baby, soft and pliable; it returns us to our essential nature; to this simplicity; to that soul we long to embrace. Think “green” with joy this spring and let go of stress as we dance Qigong.  I begin our classes with these words “ We are the Universe, the Universe is in us, let  us merge  for peace and love and healing, together.”  Here at the Resiliency Center are several excellent therapists who practice various types of support and can provide the help you also may need to return to balance.  Qigong practice is led by Karen Steinbrecher  karensteinbrecher@msn.com on Thursdays @ 2P.M. and 6:15 P.M. for 55 minutes.  The cost is $10.00.

Disposable by Dean Solon

sitting...with the seeing...with the feeling...
                 all the thoughts, all these thoughts...are nonsensical,
                 all the beliefs, all these beliefs...are nonsensical,
                 all the drama, all this drama...is nonsensical.

sitting...with the bliss that all the thoughts, all the beliefs, all the drama...
                  are perfectly all right
                  and are disposable.

i may rest in this,
i may ripple in this,
i may remember this,
in all the moments of a life.

Knitting Circle Charity Project

By Jennifer Perry

The Knitting Circle at The Resiliency Center has been working on a project, named 'Warm Hugs', to deliver 170 lap blankets (36"x36") to patients in a local Nursing Home.  Our goal is to benefit nursing home patients by providing physical and emotional warmth.

Warm Hugs was inspired by the mother of someone in our Knitting Circle. She spent the last three months of her life in a nursing home. Her family visited throughout the week and gave her love and care she needed. Not all the residents were as fortunate and she noticed that some did not have the benefit of care and visits from relatives and friends.  While no one can take the place of a caring family, Warm Hugs hopes to show love to the patients by providing them with a colorful, warm and handmade reminder that someone cares.

So far the Resiliency Knitting Circle has completed 60 lap blankets which will be handed out to the nursing home patients in January.  When we go to the nursing home to deliver the blankets the Activities staff will identify the patients who do not have family or visitors so they can receive priority in benefiting from our 'warm hugs'.

This has been an effort of love and caring by people in our Knitting Circle.  They have given much time and love to make this a reality. This is an on-going project.  There are 170 patients in the Nursing Home.  Our goal is to continue to provide their patients with our 'Warm Hugs' on an on-going basis.

If you like to crochet or knit or would like to learn, we could use your help to make lap blankets for even more patients.

Join us at http://www.meetup.com/resiliencygatherings/events/219738506/

The Knitting Circle meets the Second Saturday of every month at 10am.

Listening to the Body

By Dana Barron

The human body has the innate capacity to heal, given the proper conditions. While outside interventions may facilitate healing, the body is doing the actual healing work. The more we can tap into and enable that innate capacity, the healthier and more resilient we will be. The first step is to learn to pay attention to and respect the body’s messages. Symptoms are signals, guides. They indicate that our system is out of balance, that we need to take action to return to equilibrium. Pain is a message to stop. Fatigue is a message to rest.

This all may seem obvious, but it is not what we are conditioned to do. We are more likely to fight our symptoms than to heed their signals. We live according to clocks and calendars, not the rhythms of the body. And so we learn to “power through” discomfort. We treat symptoms as nuisances to be overcome or quieted. We respond to pain with medications, fatigue with food or caffeine, and use antacids and gas pills for indigestion. And medicine – with its focus on procedures and pharmaceuticals -- is based more on fighting symptoms than on asking why they are there in the first place. Quelling symptoms may allow us to continue to function, but over time the cost of ignoring what the body is telling us can be very serious.

As a health coach, I start with helping clients reorient their understanding of the body’s messages. We look closely at symptoms, physical sensations, and emotional reactions. We enlist them as clues in the search for root causes. This is the first step in creating an environment where healing can happen. We start discovering correlations and patterns, many of which point to easy solutions. Often we find that removing something can be more powerful than doing something or taking something.

Listening to your body is also of way of regaining power and control over your health. Many people see their bodies as a “black box,” a machine that requires an expert to repair.  There are certainly times when medical intervention is essential and miraculous. When symptoms get strong or persistent, it’s wise to seek expert guidance. View it as a partnership – bring your knowledge and wisdom into the exam room. Enlist health professionals as allies in your search for the reasons behind symptoms. Be cautious about interventions that just mask symptoms.

If something is bothering you, give this strategy a try. Track your symptoms along with your diet and your daily activities. Try pausing when a symptom arises, and think creatively about what your options are. Can you rest briefly rather than reach for something to perk you up or relieve an ache? Try a dietary or lifestyle change and see if it helps you feel better. Over time you will cultivate your intuition and wisdom and the benefits will multiply. 

Resiliency in Action – The Story of Phoenixville and the 2014 Firebird Festival

by Elizabeth Venart

The town of Phoenixville has been hosting an annual Firebird Festival for ten years. The ceremonial lighting of a magnificent 30-foot sculpture of a wooden phoenix is the pinnacle of the festivities, which also include music, crafts, and a parade through town. Amidst dancing and drumming and in front of crowds of thousands, the enormous bird is set ablaze and burned down to ashes.

An Ancient Myth that Speaks to Phoenixville’s History

The ceremony dramatizes the mythical Phoenix Rising, a sacred firebird that lives for 500-1,000 years until it builds itself a nest where it meets a fiery end. From the ashes rises a new, young, or re-born, bird that lives as long as its original self. ¹ During the Phoenixville ceremony, small ceramic “peace birds,” which have been created by community members of all ages, are placed at the base of the sculpture and fired in the kiln of its flames. Like the mythical phoenix, these little birds carry the promise of new life. Twelve months later, from their ashes, the phoenix stands stories high and is burned again.

Phoenixville organizers created the ceremonial burning of the as a way to honor their town’s resurgence. Phoenixville named itself after the Phoenix Iron Works and had a strong iron and steel manufacturing history until 1976 when the renamed Phoenix Steel Corporation closed due to rising competition and falling demand. Phoenixville experienced a period of tremendous struggle, yet it faced these challenges with creativity and determination.

The Firebird Festival celebrates Phoenixville’s rebirth and, like Phoenixville itself, it has grown steadily over the past decade. This December 6^th was scheduled to be the 11^th Annual Firebird Festival, with predicted attendance of over 12,000 people. However, in the early morning on that Saturday, vandals burned down the giant phoenix statue that artists and builders had spent months constructing. In a true testament to the strength of this local community, volunteers donated their time, money, and wood to aid in the heroic reconstruction of a new Firebird in time for the evening’s festival.

A Wonderful Metaphor for Resiliency

Initially horrified and saddened by the news that the beautiful sculpture had been destroyed, I was profoundly moved to see how people rallied behind the event organizers and actively worked to create the new structure. In this photo, taken that rainy evening among a large crowd of enthusiastic supporters, I see the phoenix rise and a resilient community further empowered.

Life will undoubtedly throw curveballs our way. We strengthen our resiliency not by avoiding the inevitable bumps and detours along the journey but by growing to face them – and transform ourselves in the process. The people of Phoenixville demonstrated the vibrancy of their resilience this December. I was honored to witness and be a part of it.   

To learn more about the event, check out this article by NBC10 who covered the story, focusing on the outpouring of support that insured the 11^thAnnual Firebird Festival would still happen [Insert link to: http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Community-Pitches-in-After-Vandals-Burn-Down-Firebird-Festival-Phoenix-284979371.html].

¹ Phoenix Mythology, https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Phoenix_%28mythology%29.html