Share Your Good News & You Will Be Better

An article entitled Share Your Good News & You Will Be Better by Emma Seppala, describes psychologists' research on the joys of sharing joy.  Of course we share our joys, right? We enjoy being joyful, right?

In fact, the article explains that while most of us have 3 times as many positive experiences as negative experiences, the abundance of joyful experiences can serve to diminish them.  We take joyfulness for granted and instead focus our attention on negative experiences.

Seppala recommends making daily lists of things you feel grateful for.  She says being intentional about noticing those people, events & things that make you feel joyful, improves your psychological & physical health & sense of well-being.  Gratitude & joyfulness "improves our ability to connect with others, boosts our tendencies to want to help others, makes us optimistic & happier, decreases envy & materialism, & even improves health for people with physical ailments," she writes.

My family & friends make me feel grateful; they know all my bad points & still love me.  I also enjoy reading & learning about family history; I just started a class on DNA, by our local genealogical society.  I like working out at the gym, which gives me more energy, strength, endurance, & more deep sleep.  I'm grateful for our warm home on cold days.  I am grateful for God who is so faithful to me.

I am blessed to share my good news with you.  Now, start your own list of people, events, & things that make you feel joyful.  Then share your good news with someone else.  It will warm your heart on a cold day.  Sharing your joy will give you more joy.

Finding Light in Dark Times

We’re entering that season known as the holidays.  This season can be a hard time for those who are feeling down or depressed.  The days are shorter, and the nights are longer.  Holiday parties can mean feeling pressured to spend time with people that you’d rather not.  The music, festivities and joy can remind some that their lives are not joyful.  In short, the holidays can deepen one’s dark feelings.

Elijah is a good example of how God leads us to do simple things.  Elijah was running for his life, afraid and depressed, and God stepped in.  

“He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. ‘I have had enough, Lord,’ he said. ‘Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.’  Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.  All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.”   I Kings 19:4-5

Elijah awoke, ate and drank, and then slept again.  These simple things were God’s way of beginning to lead him out of his depression.  These first steps were simple ones: eat and rest. 

If you’re feeling down during this holiday season, you might want to check to see how you’re taking care of yourself.  Are you getting enough nourishment and rest?  These are simple, practical things that we can do to take care of ourselves, so that we might serve the One whose birth we are preparing to celebrate.