Have You Lost Your Joy?

I’ve been feeling disconnected from my joy the last couple of days. I hate that feeling of disconnect. Do you know what I mean? Joy, for me, is like sitting by a gentle stream, amongst the trees and feeling God’s presence inside and around me. I love that feeling. It’s a feeling of acceptance and love. It’s a “knowingness” that I’m not alone and that no matter what shows up in my life, I know that it will be okay. Well, I haven’t been feeling that way lately.

I took a walk this morning with my pups and was reminded why I felt so disconnected from my joy. I haven’t been staying present. I have a lot going on in my life right now. For the next six weekends, I’m only home one of them. I have a contractor who’s in and out of my home due to Hurricane Irma. Yes, we had damage up here in the mountains of Georgia. That in itself is enough to stifle joy, but there are much bigger things happening. My daughter is getting married in November. I have an Enlightened Mom event in Dallas in two weeks. Plus, I’m helping put on a 5K run and festival for our local CASA organization to help abused or neglected kids in foster care. And…I just started hosting a new radio show. Whew! I could find myself sliding down a dark rabbit hole after just writing this. But what I am reminded of after this morning’s walk is that it is projecting into the future and not staying present that saps my joy.

I’m sure some of you might be questioning why in the world I would put so much on my plate all at once? I have asked myself that same question. Normally, I’m very present and joyful because I maintain strong boundaries in creating time for myself, which allows me to stay present. But every one of these things is important to me and they all just happen to be occurring at the same time. They make my life feel full. When I meditated on why all this is happening at once, the answer I received was that this is a test to see if I will remember to stay present. LOL! I almost failed this test. At least for a couple of days. But my spirit told me this morning that I needed to get out and take a walk with my dogs. As soon as I stepped out of the house and began breathing in the trees and the fresh air, I was reminded that I had not been staying present, and in the lack of doing so, I had created a disconnect from God and lost my joy.

Please take this in…

It is your disconnection from God that shuts down your joy.

And your disconnect stems from not being present.

I don’t know about you, but when I project too much into the future, that’s when I worry. I feel alone and feel as if I have to handle everything by myself. But just like my gentle reminder said this morning, I know that when I slow down and come back to center, taking in the beauty around me, I feel the presence of God. THAT’S when I reconnect to my joy! And in this joyful state, I SURRENDER and KNOW that everything will be great.

Getting present connects you to God.

THIS is where you experience joy.

Can you relate to what I’m writing? Do you find yourself feeling alone and sliding down a rabbit hole at times due to having too much on your plate? What do you do to get present and reconnect to God and your joy again?

I want to invite you right now to check in with yourself. Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Put your hand on your heart and ask, “Have I lost my joy?”

If you hear a YES, even if it is a tiny whisper, or maybe you feel a tightening in your body, I want to encourage you to stop and find a way to reconnect to God. Find a way to get fully present. For me, a great way is taking a walk like I did this morning up on this majestic mountain I live on. What is it for you?

Many of my clients over the years have enjoyed journaling as a way to get present and to connect to God. For others, it’s exercising like yoga or running. I have used some of these tools, too. And I meditate daily. But sometimes, especially the past few days, my mind has blurred my meditations by not staying present.

Today on my walk, I was reminded that my joy comes from “being.” It comes from trusting that everything will be okay if I allow myself to get present and connect to God.

What I love the most is that I can get present sitting where I am right now. You can do this, too. You don’t have to go anywhere or do anything special. You can simply slow down your breath and slow down your mind. It only takes a moment. But if you do as I do, you’ll feel a deep connection to God’s presence flowing through you. That’s when I realize I never really lost my joy. It was always there. I just needed to get present to experience it. I hope you’ll discover this, too.

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Mom, are you ready to get your joy back? Are you ready to feel a deep connection to God and be fully present for your loved ones? If you are, join Terri Britt in the Dallas, Texas area on October 20-21, for The Enlightened Mom Weekend Workshop. Click on the graphic below to get all the details!

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