I have a hard time with the word “fun.” The words “happy” and “joy” are difficult words too, for that matter. Yet, a year ago around the Winter Solstice I committed to finding more real joy in my life and actually experience that elusive sensation known as happiness. And I found some of it, though I have more seeking to do. Part of my Winter Solstice practices is reviewing the past year and looking forward to the next.
Tag Archives: anxiety
What Brings Your Life Meaning?
In my process of seeking joy this past year, I ended up reading a lot of articles and watching TED talks about what makes people happy, what people regret, and what gets people through the trauma and difficulty. Are you looking for more meaning in your life?
Coping with Anxiety
I had no idea how much anxiety I apparently regularly cope with. This post just blew my mind. http://captainawkward.com/2013/07/08/anxiety-open-thread/
The first comment:
“- I had to contact a credit card where I had a lot of missed payments and schedule a payment plan. This paralyzed me with fear.
– I had to go to the library and explain that I had a squillion overdue books and that I wanted to pay my fines. This paralyzed me with fear.
– I had to talk to my workplace about changing my direct deposit from one bank to another. This paralyzed me with fear.
– I had to get a blouse dry cleaned to remove a spaghetti stain. This paralyzed me with fear.
– I had to go to the store and buy a quart of milk, some eggs, some ground beef, a loaf of bread, and some apples. This paralyzed me with fear.”
I haven’t read through all the comments yet–and there are a lot–but it’s making some things more clear to me. One is that some of my coping mechanisms are great and I’m better off than many folks are. I’m grateful for that. However, I read the list of things causing the paralyzing level of stress, and I realize how often that’s happened to me.
Shauna Aura Knight 