\u201cLife can be complicated, but happiness is simple.\u201d So begins the book Finding Joy<\/em> by Mac Anderson. No matter how bad the economy is or what heartache you are suffering, there remains deep inside of you a flicker of joy that can be ignited with little money or effort. Here are seven ways that you can find joy in the tough times of your life.<\/p>\n 1. Walk Outside Before Starting Your Day<\/strong><\/p>\n A few weeks ago, I cancelled home delivery of our local newspaper because seeing the constant bad news headlines cast a wave of negative energy into my day before I even ate breakfast. I don\u2019t miss the newspaper. But, to my surprise, I\u2019ve discovered that I miss that momentary walk outside to retrieve the paper from the ground. I hadn\u2019t realized before how joyful it is to breathe the outdoor air, hear the birds chirping, and see the blue sky. Psychic Marin ext. 5113<\/a><\/strong> reminds us \u201c\u2026when seeking a spiritual connection, returning to nature is a good place to start.\u201d<\/p>\n 2. Use an Inspirational Daily Calendar<\/strong><\/p>\n For several years, I had started each day by reading the new page in my Mary Engelbreit desktop calendar. Each page displayed a short inspirational quote and her colorful artwork. Then one year I was so busy at year’s end that all of the Mary Engelbreit calendars had sold out before I could buy one. Disappointed, but still in need of a calendar, I bought a plain one. With each passing day of the new year, I felt more scattered. By February, I realized that I was missing my daily dose of Mary Engelbreit. Then a minor miracle happened: I stumbled upon a gift shop in town that I hadn\u2019t noticed before. Apparently, not many other people had found the store, either, because there was still a supply of Mary Engelbreit calendars \u2014 and they were on sale. Finding joy in tough times can be as easy as choosing a calendar with artwork or quotations that inspire you. Get personalized advice, contact a psychic today<\/a>!<\/p>\n 3. Appreciate the Ordinary<\/strong><\/p>\n In the movie It\u2019s a Wonderful Life<\/em>, George Bailey has the opportunity to see how life would have been if he hadn\u2019t been born. After realizing the significance of his seemingly boring and unsuccessful life, he approaches life with sheer joy, despite the grim possibility of landing in jail on Christmas Eve for a crime that he didn\u2019t commit. While looking for his family to tell them the good news of his rebirth, the knob at the end of his stairway banister comes off in his hand. Instead of cursing it, as he had done many times before, he kisses it and says how much he loves it.<\/p>\n Look for the extraordinary in the ordinary to connect with the joy of \u201cordered\u201d life. For example, one of my favorite memories of my late mother is that of her standing at our kitchen counter, buttering toast for breakfast. When imbued with joy, the mundane becomes sacred.<\/p>\n 4. Count Your Blessings<\/strong><\/p>\n Perhaps you\u2019ve heard the proverb: “I cried because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet.” Whenever you catch yourself feeling sad because of what you lack during your tough times, remember that there is always someone else who is worse off than you. Be grateful for your blessings. Psychic Martisse ext. 5335 explains: \u201cBy focusing on the joyous things that come our way, big or small, we break into the path leading towards more and more of the same and allowing our desires to come to us at a more accelerated pace.\u201d<\/p>\n 5. Listen to Your Favorite Music<\/strong><\/p>\n Whether you enjoy rocking out or smooth jazzing, the rhythm of your favorite music will resonate with your primal self, the you that existed before you learned language. Neurologists report that our brains are wired to feel rhythm even before we leave our mother\u2019s womb. It\u2019s no wonder that videos of dancing babies rank high on YouTube. We all want to remember the joyous connection between music and our soul.<\/p>\n 6. Sniff Your Favorite Scents<\/strong><\/p>\n The association between our sense of smell and memories is so strong that a particular test for Alzheimer\u2019s disease that measures the loss of smell as an indicator of loss of memory turns out to be 80 percent accurate. To feel joy instantly, take a whiff of a pleasant scent, especially one that reminds you of happy times. For me, cinnamon and pine retrieve the joy of Christmastime.<\/p>\n 7. Help Someone<\/strong><\/p>\n Research supports what you might already know from personal experience: helping others makes both the helper and the person being helped feel good. If you have time to do organized volunteer work, that\u2019s great. But even if you don\u2019t, you can still feel the joy of helping by performing simple acts of kindness, such as holding the door open for someone whose arms are full or alerting someone who has dropped something.<\/p>\n For more ideas on how to connect with your inner joy when times are tough around you, call one of our compassionate psychics<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n