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Leaning Into Joy

Discover Your Path to Happiness and Joy

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There is Something About a Waltz

May 19, 2019 by Barb Brown

Today is cloudy and gray and I'm tired and worried about a few things, so I found myself in a bit of a low place emotionally. I spent the morning journaling and meditating. Then, I enjoyed a relaxing bath with epsom salt, sea salt, and essential oils. I was listening to one of my favorite stations on Pandora radio and it occurred to me that I was feeling a bit lighter. I noticed that the song playing was a waltz and I recalled feeling a bit brighter every time a waltz comes on. So I started thinking about the power of music.

There are songs that make me cry, songs that make me want to dance, and songs that bring me joy. Music soothes the soul, warms the heart, and can clear away tears within just of few beats. The power of music cannot be denied. What is it about music that is so moving and healing?

When we listen to music our brain releases a feel good chemical called dopamine which has an effect on emotion, perception and movement. Music impacts our emotions, lifts our mood, reduces anxiety, raises motivation and helps lighten depression.

Music therapy is a scientifically validated intervention and is used for multiple physical and mental health conditions 
including: 

1

Improves invasive procedures

Improves invasive procedures. Including colonoscopies, knee surgery, and cardiac angiography. Those who listened to music in the operating room reported less discomfort during their procedure. Hearing music in the recovery room lowered the use of opioid painkillers.

2

Reduces side effects of cancer therapy

​Listening to music reduces anxiety associated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. It can also quell nausea and vomiting for patients receiving chemotherapy.

3

Aids pain relief

​Music therapy has been tested in patients ranging from those with intense acute pain to those with chronic pain from arthritis. Overall, music therapy decreases pain perception, reduces the amount of pain medication needed, helps relieve depression, and gives people a sense of better control over their pain.

4

Improves quality of life for dementia patients

​Because the ability to engage with music remains intact late into the disease process, music therapy can help to recall memories, reduce agitation, assist communication, and improve physical coordination.

source: Harvard Health Publishing

So the next time you are feeling blue try turning up the volume on your favorite song and see how it can have a positive impact on your mood, motivation, or joy. 

“Music has a power over the body, a language that possesses an inherent nature to make us feel.”

—Deborah Bradway, MT-BC, from “Music Therapy as a Treatment for Substance Abuse with At-Risk Children and Adolescents”

And if you are looking for more ideas to find joy in your life please join me every Tuesday at 1pm ET. Click here for more information.

Filed Under: Joy

Drum Making Joy

May 16, 2019 by Barb Brown

One of the commitments I have made to myself is to do more "fun" things. So when I had an opportunity to make my own drum, I said YES! I didn't realize how fun and easy it was. Ten of us gathered on a rainy Saturday morning, greeted with soaking leather hides and all of the tools we would need to create our very own drum. In less than 3 hours my drum was complete and in 7 days it was dry and ready to use. 

There are many fun classes and workshops at the Healing Arts Center where my office is so I have an abundance of opportunities to say yes to something fun. Other places to look for fun activities include the local recreation centers, craft centers, and other healing places. I recommend trying Yoga, Pilates, Gong Baths, Drum Making, Drum Circles, and SoulCollage®. I'd love to hear how you "have fun." 

If you are struggling to have fun or find the joy in your life, I encourage you to contact me to see how I might be able to help. Simply click this link to contact me. I look forward to hearing from you.

Until next time, I wish you joy.

Filed Under: Joy

A Video About Joy

April 11, 2019 by Barb Brown

Filed Under: Joy

My Joy Contract

March 26, 2019 by Barb Brown

Last summer I went on a weekend retreat to reconnect to my inner joy. It was a beautiful weekend in the Colorado mountains shared with a dozen others who were also seeking their own inner joy. Recently, as I was clearing some paperwork from a desk drawer, I discovered the outcome of that weekend. I called it my joy contract. It was good advice then and remains good advice for me now, so I wanted to share it with you. 

I Barbara Elaine Brown agree to seek joy in my life and spread joy in the world each and every day from this day forward by:

  • Reviewing my joy list regularly, adding things when inspired to do so and removing things when needed.
  • Taking care of and loving me first.
  • Being open and flexible - moving downstream. If life starts feeling difficult or heavy I will stop and assess, making appropriate course correction ASAP.
  • Taking time to listen. Meditate daily. It's hard to listen in the chaos. Clear myself when needed and step away to find clarity. Remember - "great ideas don't come from behind your computer." Laura West
  • Remembering that your body is all you have. Use it wisely and treat it with love. Move daily, eat well, and nurture and support your body.
  • Remembering to have fun! Try new things! Say no more often and yes more fully!
  • Knowing that you are not alone - ever! Ask for help. Receive the help! Listen. Hear. You have all of the support and guidance you need. Ask and receive!
  • Being open. Be flexible. Don't resist. Don't push.
  • Sticking "to it"  but stepping away when needed. Follow through and finish.
  • Knowing that there is NOTHING to be afraid of. Life is good!

These are great reminders, and for the most part, I live by these ideas. I'll find my joy list and post it soon. If you would like help discovering or reconnecting to your inner joy please contact me to see how we might work together. 

Until next time, I wish you joy!


Filed Under: Joy

Keeping Joy Simple

March 5, 2019 by Barb Brown

Joy is Simple!

Well, it's supposed to be. We make things more difficult than they are. We give people power over us by worrying what others think about us. We lose perspective about situations in our lives by focusing on what's wrong rather than what's right. We complicate our lives by always looking for the extraordinary. We give our power away by looking for joy outside of ourselves. But joy is an inside job and is most easily found in simple moments. And it bubbles up from the inside of each of us when we slow down, feel in, and lean in to joy.

Here are a few suggestions to keeping joy simple

  • Have Less: Declutter, clear, clean, and organize
  • Do Less: Learn the art of saying NO. Say no more often and yes more fully
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    Meditate: Spend time in quiet reflection to clear mental clutter and get focused
  • Ask For Help: Don't be afraid to call a friend or hire someone to help
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    Be Grateful: For what you have and for what "is." Feeling into gratitude changes everything! 
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     Lean In To Joy: It's not a mighty leap. All it takes is a small shift to begin to experience joy. Keep it simple and notice.  

Joy is not an elusive thing, although it feels that way sometimes. It helps to shift our expectations and experience of joy. Other terms for joy include peaceful, contented, and satisfied. Sometimes it's just a moment of feeling satisfied.  But so often we lose the moment because we are looking for the extraordinary, or our minds are busy, or we are not tuned in because of distractions, and we miss the moment when all is right with the world. Simple, fleeting moments. But they're there. And when we notice the simple moments we learn to lean into the next moment and the next, until joy becomes a habit. We receive more of what we focus on. Are you focusing on what's going wrong or what's going right? Focus on what's right, even if it's small and simple, and you will begin to notice the simple moments of joy. 

Filed Under: Joy

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My Recent Posts

  • There is Something About a Waltz
  • Drum Making Joy
  • A Video About Joy
  • My Joy Contract
  • Keeping Joy Simple

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