Simple Practices for a Joyful, Stress-free Winter

Do you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, hopeless, or dreading the long dark winter ahead? 

Depression can creep in this time of year and steal your joy. The pandemic has rocked our world and caused so much stress and anxiety. Add a life crisis, divorce, or loss of a loved one to that, and you may not want to get out of bed in the mornings. I was there and can relate. The simplest actions helped transform my life.

One of the fastest ways to peace and happiness during hard times is to redirect your attention and energy. Practice these simple techniques every day to find miracles in the messes of life.  

Practice Acceptance

Accept the situation you find yourself in. Whatever the challenge, the sooner we stop complaining, the faster we can take the next steps forward. You cannot change the past either, so accept it.  

Wondering why something happened, what you could have done differently, or worrying about whether it is "fair" will do nothing but prolong the pain. Anything we focus our attention on grows, so instead of focusing on any negative situation, choose to focus on complete acceptance. It puts us in the moment of "NOW" and quiets our mind in order to hear guidance for our next steps forward.

Accept other people and yourself- flaws and all. We are all perfectly imperfect. Accept that others feel, think, and act differently yet we can respectfully agree to disagree and live in harmony. We all seek acceptance from each other and are more alike than we are different. If you find yourself irritated or angry, take the time to breathe deeply and consider simply accepting. It may be easier when you apply the next technique- forgiveness.

Practice Forgiveness

Forgive those who have hurt, betrayed, or offended you. This is easier said than done, but it is possible. Holding on to the pain and anger will continue to hurt you and is a weight dragging you down. Realize that forgiveness does not mean you are approving what was done. It means you are willing to let it go to free yourself. Forgiveness sometimes needs to be practiced over and over for the same things. Remember, you want peace more than anything, even more than being right. Every day things happen that require forgiveness, and the sooner we forgive the better. Let it become a habit. Redirect your thoughts to what the situation can to teach you and grow from it.

Perhaps most importantly, forgive yourself. Realize how hard you are on yourself and reject the negative self-talk. We all have done things we regret. Grant yourself the same grace you give others and forgive.

Practice Gratitude

We have heard many times to practice gratitude to find joy, but are we actually doing it? When you are suffering, gratitude is a life saver. Find the smallest things to be grateful for and express your gratitude. I practice naming everything I am thankful for while driving. Be thankful for your family, your friends, the color of the sky, the song on the radio, and the tires safely moving you on your journey. You can constantly practice gratitude. If it is easier, start a journal and list everything you can think of before you go to bed at night. The more you practice, the more things come to you to be grateful for. Whether it is The Law of Attraction in action or simply your ability to recognize how blessed you are does not matter. It works. I found it impossible to feel sorry for myself and grateful at the same time. This is powerful.

If you can practice gratitude for some of the hard things in life, you really start to see how to make lemonade out of lemons. Can you find things even in the pandemic to be grateful for? If nothing else, it helps us realize how important it is to appreciate all we have because things can change in a heartbeat, and so much can be taken for granted.

Practice Love

Maybe practicing love sounds strange, but it works. Practice during your commute, before bed, in the morning, or during your meditation or prayer time. Mentally extend love to everyone in your life both past and present. Just picture them and send love from your heart. If you have trouble feeling it, imagine how much you love your pet and connect with that pure love. Try it and just feel how good it feels! 

It puts us in that higher vibration, that undeniable state of bliss.  
Next, imagine receiving love from everyone in your life, both past and present. When I first practiced this, I found it harder to receive than to give love. This realization allowed me to go deeper and work on feeling worthy of being loved. Allow yourself to receive love mentally and emotionally from each person that comes to mind and and spend time connecting to that feeling.

Practice loving yourself. 

Write on your mirror "I am enough" and say it to yourself every time you look in the mirror. Be kinder, gentler, and more patient with yourself and you will find it easier to extend to others.  
 

About Kristy's Book

Your world falling apart may be the best thing to ever happen!

Everyone wants abundant happiness, love, and wealth. To achieve it, we are bombarded with advice to simply use positive affirmations and believe. Perhaps it is not this simple.

Messy Miracles offers a new way to view manifestation. Within its pages you discover how to find:

•Your greatest joys after surviving your deepest fears
•Great love after enduring your darkest times
•True wealth after the ashes settle

Life as you know it may explode into a million shattered pieces so you can put it back together in a new and improved way.

Author Kristy LeRay blends a mix of personal experience, life lessons, and research to help readers discover the miracle in the mess. Find peace amid chaos, tragedy, and pain with tools presented in this unique approach to manifestation.

Messy Miracles will help readers overcome depression, heal from divorce, and conquer their addictions. Her honesty is endearing and sometimes humorous as she shares a realistic view of how to manifest through the hardships of life.