Spark Joy
Marie Kondo is an organizing consultant who became well known for organizing method that is based on choosing to keep only items that speak to your heart rather than deciding what to get rid of. Watching her show on Netflix she would ask her customers, “Does this spark joy”? If the answer was positive, they would keep the item and if it was negative they would discard the item. The philosophy being, “Don’t clutter your life with things and stuff that don’t bring you joy”. What if we were to do the same thing with our intellectual and emotional energy? Reality is we are going to have to do some hard things. Sometimes we will get stuck, but do we have to live in constant paralyzing stress and cognitive overload? When this happens we have to take the steps to get unstuck and find a way to spark joy into our recovery. The Acronym M.O.V.E reminds me what to do when I’m stuck.
M.O.V.E
Motion – Most of us have heard the term “Motion is Lotion”. This is not just true of our bones and muscles but also of our neurochemistry. Motion means get outside and do something. Walk, play in the garden, ride a bike, it doesn’t matter what you do, just get outside, soak up nature and the natural vitamins provided by being out there.
Oxygen – “Breathing is Required” – There is very little joy in anxiety. It is scientifically proven that those with a mindful breathing practice report less anxiety. Furthermore, for preventing stress and physical ailments, breathing correctly is important for your overall well-being. While deep breathing benefits are uncountable, here are some important ones that will motivate you to inhale.
Natural painkiller
Improves blood flow
Improves immunityCalms down anxiety
Helps you sleep better
Increases energy level
Improves postureReduces inflammation
It detoxifies the body
Stimulates lymphatic systemImproves digestionBreathing relaxes mind and body(for more information on each of these items see urbanbalance.com)
Vulnerable – In his Ted Talk, Johan Jari said “The opposite of addiction is not sobriety, it is connection”. Connect with the people you feel safe to be authentic with; the people that “spark joy”, those that are safe, winners, encouragers, your cheerleaders and also help you to bring/find purpose. If you don’t have these relationships yet, start to develop them one risk at a time. Join a support group or a book club. Take a class. Do whatever it takes to push yourself a bit out of your comfort zone and plug in one small step at a time
Evaluate – This is where the real Marie Kondo work is put in place. Take time to evaluate and “tidy up” where you place your energy. Marie Kondo teaches people to decide if the items that are cluttering their space (books, CD’s, clothes, etc.) spark joy for them. If an item sparks joy, they keep it. If it doesn’t, they thank the item for its part in their life, and then get rid of it.Now some of us are hoarders of things and stuff, but perhaps we can be hoarders of unhealthy habitual, behavioral and emotional issues as well…So evaluate. Are there behaviors or habits that are in your way of achieving the goals you want to reach? People in your life that just shouldn’t be? Do you spend your time focused on the negative and what could go wrong rather than the positive and what is going right? Do these things spark joy or just instant gratification and long-term discomfort? What is the payoff for keeping them or continuing to do what you are doing? Are you addicted to anxiety and crisis? Does this distract you providing an excuse from working on yourself and allowing you to orchestrate your life to stay small? Once you have identified an issue or area to let go of, thank it for being in your life, acknowledge how it has served you and what it has taught you (good and bad), and let it go. (Easier said than done, but this is where we start).
By: Trish Frye LCDC, CDWF, CAI (2019)
