Newsletter: Embrace it
There's a quote from the poet Rumi I have been thinking about lately: “Sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment." What does it mean to you? To me, this is about letting go of our grasping tendencies and embracing whatever happens. In this week's newsletter, you'll find a tool for doing so, community suggestions for coping with stress, and how to reconnect after loneliness.
Have a good week,
Stephanie Harrison, founder of The New Happy
This Week
How much of our pain is coming from trying to control every little thing that happens in our lives, a fundamentally impossible proposition? One area where this plays out is how we expect our days to go. We want them to be smooth, straight-forward, and easy. Yet those days are rare. We spend all of the other days fighting the reality of our messy, very human lives, and feel that it isn't going how it is "supposed to."
Try This
Wouldn't it be more helpful to set our expectations that our days will be bouncy (ups, downs, stresses, joys) and then embrace whatever happens? When you wake up in the morning, try saying this to yourself: "This day will be bouncy, not smooth. That doesn't mean that I've done something wrong; it is just the nature of life. I am going to embrace my day no matter what happens, and find joy in the living of it."
Does it change your experience? Let us know.
More Tips and Tools
1. Reconnect to overcome loneliness (Podcast)
2. Be the bridge (Instagram, TikTok)
3. Build momentum (Instagram)
4. The stories we tell ourselves (Instagram, TikTok)
5. Be kind to yourself in stressful moments (Instagram)
Community
What do you do or say to yourself in moments of stress?
"You are the observer, let it flow."
"It's only temporary."
"In a brief moment, this will be over."
"One step at a time."
"Breathe. Then state the worst, best and likely outcomes."
"This too shall pass."
"I hear you brain, but I'm going to do it anyways."
"Physically move and shake out any excess energy, bonus if I can play a fun song with it!"
"This is not within my control, but what I can control is..."
"What am I feeling? What do I need?"
These moments of stress are a great opportunity to tune in and offer yourself kindness, support, and empathy. The more that you do that, the easier it becomes to handle them.
(Want to be part of the discussion? Join us on Instagram or reply to this email)
Inspiration
1. Artists paint national flower on wrecked cars (ABC) — The human spirit is awe-inspiring.
2. Serena Williams says farewell to tennis (Vogue) — What an inspiration she is.
3. Helping a war-torn nation reconnect with literature (Positive News) — This week's New Happy Hero is Mohamed Zaher, who is helping make books accessible to Syrians.
Before You Go
Thank you for reading
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