Command Joy with Six Spring Time Ideas

Spring time is here! I love the spring season, a great in between stage coming out of the harsh, cold, dark winter and the anticipation of the long summer days. Hope is alive in the springtime and it is the perfect season to starting commanding joy in your life!

So here you go - Command Joy with Six Springtime ideas:

Spring into Saving
I read a recent article that 1 in 5 people are in debt - meaning they are paying student loans, credit card interest, mortgage or car payments. This lifestyle can lead into a life of stress and anxiety - yes, spending money is addicting - there is the thrill of the search and spend - and knowing that you can have anything you want right at your fingertips. Well, guess what?!? Saving is addicting too! How about this spring you try to save a little bit more - maybe wait a while to buy those new shoes, latte, movie tickets and start looking at free ways to entertain yourself - go hang out at a park, long walks, go to the library...a lot of communities have a list of fun, FREE activities that can keep you entertained and debt free. It could be a fun challenge for you and your family! 

Spring into Silence
With technological advances and today's lifestyle, it is almost impossible to unplug. Often we are meeting the demands of our job, our family, or our friends, and we have little energy to meet or even notice the demands of our souls and our bodies!  I have also noticed that it is hard, (and I mean REALLY hard) to turn it off - ALL the way off. Even when we aren't physically at work, aren't spending time with or interacting with our families, or engaged in our activities and hobbies, most of our mental energy is consumed with thoughts of them - the never ending to-do list, the annoying habits of our kids or spouses, the pressure and rush we feel when we have to finish something up to move to the next thing. It is all overwhelming and if we aren't careful, the busyness of it all can become a bad habit. What if we were to spend a quiet 5 minutes alone, in silence...phones off, mind off, and just sit and be still. Really still. I wonder what would happen if we were to increase that 5 minutes into 10, then 20. If we could silence the chatter in our brains and just be...focused on our breathing, on the fact that our hearts are beating, the soft feel of the breeze, the tingling our toes, if we could just stop for a small amount of time and just be. Spring into silence today!

Spring into Smiling
Have you ever noticed that when a person flashes you a smile - be it a stranger you are passing on the street, a co-worker you know and love, or your children, you can't help but smile back? It is a natural reaction and that is for a reason! Smiling is contagious and it feels so good! Every once in a while, when I catch myself in a terrible mood, I just sit and smile for 5 minutes and more often than not, I actually start to feel better! It is amazing to me, especially when I think how the thing that I was upset about was legit upsetting - how could I just smile and it suddenly goes away? Well that is the spirit of smiling!! It works - why not give it a try?

Spring into Stretching
I love a good workout. I really do! Ok, I mean I don't LOVE getting up, trying to make myself run, jump, dance around, but AFTERwards, I feel fantastic, accomplished, and mentally clearer and calmer. I feel physically strong and like I can take on the world. Well....the best part about a workout is the stretching at the end. It feels so good! Have you ever just stretched? Maybe when you woke up you stretched out your arms, your legs, your neck. It feels amazing. Stretching is also really great for your health - it helps get blood to all parts of your body, gets oxygen flowing, and your blood pumping. Stretching also helps us become more flexible and increases our range of motion, improving our physical performance. Start stretching and see what happens!

Spring into Song
Have you ever noticed how a song can make you feel? I mean really, really feel...there are some songs out there that speak to the soul and it seems like you are actually going through the emotion of the person singing, it is fascinating. I think music is one of the greatest pleasures of life, and is incredibly powerful. To the artists that are courageous enough to share their deepest thoughts and feelings into the world for us to listen to, and for the listeners who can relate to the words of a song, there is magic in that moment... for through the words of those songs, we feel more connected to one another and no longer feel so alone in the world. I encourage you to make time to listen to music, sing along, and let your soul shine!!

Spring in Self-esteem
There is a huge self esteem crisis in America today, and I see it more among young women than anywhere else. As we scroll down on our phones and watch other women's lives , we look at our own lives and think that we must be missing something because we are not as happy as they appear to be. The problem is that we don't have a peek behind the curtain. We don't see the struggles, the challenges, the own issues these women are dealing with, because we are only seeing their social selves, not their real, authentic, messy selves. I have a thought - for one week, why don't we stop scrolling. Start seeing yourself for the beautiful, creative, awesome person you are, because you do matter and it is important to start seeing it. Stop that scrolling today.

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