Joy Triggers!
“Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” -Abraham Lincoln
I was speaking to a peer coach the other day and spoke to him about my stress triggers. There has been a lot more of them recently given that my children and I are home all the time now. I’m having to juggle my time with their online lessons, worksheets, home activities together with my work and coaching sessions. I realised that I have been quick to be angry and annoyed with them especially when I am pressed for time. My girls have complained that I haven’t been a nice Mummy lately. Their unhappiness made me stop and think. This is not how I want to be when I am with my girls. My stress triggers occur when unforeseen events happen such as technical glitches on their online portals and not enough time for myself.
What can I do to counter my stress triggers? We are about as happy as we decide to be. It is all in our minds. We can choose to look at a situation from various perspectives. What perspective should I be looking at to serve me well? Whenever I find myself in the face of a stressful situation now, I remind myself to literally take a step back and breathe deeply and slowly. The key questions that keep coming up in my mind is, “How urgent is this situation? Why am I feeling rushed and anxious?” As you can guess, it has always turned out to be that the situation is not any more urgent than what I make it to be. This thought has helped me to centre myself and balance my emotions.
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
The idea of Joy Triggers popped into my mind when I was doing self-reflection several days ago. Instead of focusing on what causes stress in my life, I chose to be more mindful and notice the moments in my life that give me joy. My morning coffee before everyone wakes up. Hugging and spinning my youngest daughter around. Enjoying a snack with my elder daughter. Having a short chat with my teenage son during dinner time. Connecting with my accountability partner (you know who you are!) in the U.S. via Facebook Messenger on a weekly basis. Winding down at night with a catch-up conversation with my husband after our respective long work days. Penning my thoughts in my journal. Summing up my day in prayer and surrendering all to His care.
I’m curious to hear what your Joy Triggers are. What do they look like? How often do they happen? What can you do to protect them? Do you want to increase their frequency in your daily life? If the current situation in your life prevents you from having any Joy Triggers, we would love to support you to discover and rekindle them! Reach out to us today!