How to Free Yourself and Reclaim Your Joy
Avoid the news and disinfect your thinking
How do we reclaim our freedom?
Byron Katie talks about things being, ‘My business, other people’s business or God’s business.’ Most of what happens seems to happen in the world is God’s business.
Your only business is how you treat yourself and others today.
Your business is remembering to look after your home, wash your hair, cook your dinner, make your money. Smile.
Do the work which needs to be done in your own life and let go of the rest. Focus on your sphere of influence.
Stop obsessively reading the news
If you habitually look at the headlines, STOP.
Remain detached.
Never allow yourself to become emotional when reading the news.
Expose yourself to current events in short, calculated bursts.
If you must read the news, imagine you are reading history, something that happened a long time ago. Imagine you are already far in the future. Imagine all this has passed and life has become peaceful once again.
This may all seem obvious, but it is not always so easy. The voice in our head says, But I have to stay informed. This is a strong argument. If you must, type keywords into Google, and glance only at headlines relevant to you. Type in your own area’s name. Or ask a friend or relative to tell you if there are any updates pertinent to your well-being.
Whatever you do, do not get sucked in.
Make your home an oasis of peace
Keep your home orderly and clean and uncluttered.
Fill it with laughter, beautiful things, music and media you love, delicious foods and fragrances, plants and all the things that make you comfortable and happy.
Positive steps
Have a steady morning routine. The first hour after you wake up determines the rest of your day.
Give yourself a minimum daily achievement level. (MDA.)
Keep moving.
Be the master of your devices and your vices.
Eat mindfully.
Make sure you take care of your number one priority each and every day. No matter what.
Read. Journal. Meditate.
Keep learning. Keep growing.
Let go of the world as it was and accept that everything is always changing. Spirit is the only constant.
Everything is wonderful and unfolding as it should be
This may be hard for you to believe. Depending on your level of hardship, it may even seem impossible.
Everything that happens to you is for your ultimate benefit.
This is a belief that will serve you and become self-fulfilling.
Other people have achieved this belief in all kinds of devastating situations.
You can too.
Your freedom is now
This moment. This breath. Are you comfortable? Are you well? Is there anything beautiful in your immediate environment? A plant, a dog, a cat, a ray of sunshine? Do you have anything at all to be thankful for?
Focus on it. Drink it in. Make it part of you.
What are you grateful for?
Write lists. Make it a daily practice. Make gratitude the first thing you think of when you wake in the morning.
Faith in goodness
You may or may not be religious or spiritual. But do you have faith in goodness? It may take a leap. Open your heart. If you can’t find it inside yourself right now, remember a time when you did.
Think of children. Think of the sky and flowers and trees. Make a list of beautiful things.
But what about suffering and death?
Death is painful and frightening. Suffering is hell.
But death and suffering are not the opposite of life. Life is absolute and total.
Send love to the suffering and dying people in the world. Don’t send grief. Don’t send sorrow. Don’t send fear.
Send gratitude.
