10 Tips for Instant Joy

Feel Better Instantly: 10 Easy Tricks for Joy

First trick: Get out of your head and into your feet The body craves movement. Exercise really works. Let's not think of it as exercise though. Nothing is gnarlier to the depressed person than imagining him/herself at the gym in ill fitting sweats, panting on the stair master while svelte athletes are bopping around in all directions.
As Woody Allen says, 90% of success is showing up. Once we've got our walking shoes on, once we get endorphins cooking, the doldrums have less power to penetrate .

Second trick: Turn on music! Now!
I recommend that my clients have an arsenal of inspiring and fun music at their fingertips. I have even been known to make CD's for my clients. When we're depressed, the smallest task feels overwhelming. If I can kick-start someone's joy, then I am thrilled.

Third trick: Turn on the light and sit in the sun.
Many of us work in windowless cubicles or offices, and wonder why we feel blue. This time of year, when the sun sets earlier, we must 's dark out in autumn and winter, get a light, get some sun, get some more sun. And if there is no sun in your world, then buy a full-spectrum light.

Fourth trick: Hang out with 4-leggeds. (Unless of course, you're allergic) Having an animal companion near can instantly release oxytocin, that magical hormone that we secrete when we fall in love, give birth, or are nursing. It releases a feeling of goodwill, or trust in the world. OK, so not all of all are blessed to be in love all the time, or be breast feeding, so I recommend my clients find other ways to bring on the joy chemical. Read on.

Fifth trick: Change your thoughts. Right now. We have around 60,000.00 thoughts per day. 87% of them are negative and are the same thoughts we had yesterday. Experiencing joy is a deliberate choice. Joy takes practice. Joy is hardcore. I use realistic affirmations, which, at times are posted all over my room. Notice I said realistic.

We must remember that affirmations don't make something happen, they make something welcome. People tell me, "I put an affirmation up on my bedroom wall, saying: "I am ready to meet a gorgeous, successful, charming man who will adore and worship me." It's been 3 months. Where is he?" I tell them; "You have made yourself more open to meeting this human. Finding him is another story. Sorry."

Sixth Trick: Follow a joyous lifestyle. Choose joyous entertainment; find a class, a workout, anything that gets you in your body, preferably sweating a bit.

Seventh Trick: Affirm joy with words. 
Rudyard Kipling said "I am by calling a dealer in words. And words are by far the most powerful drug in the world". It may seem trite, but changing the way we speak can be extremely influential in changing our moods.

Eighth Trick: Grab hold of a goal. Make it a do-able one. Happiness and joy come from goals. We mustn't put off our lives.

Ninth Trick: Cultivate a relationship with the divine. 
We are whom our higher self wanted to experience. 
There is some truth to the pithy phrase: There's no aetheists in foxholes. Have a smidgens of faith and the world can be a gentler space.

Tenth Trick: Choose joyous companions. When we are depressed, we take our somber, sluggish selves wherever we go. It can be very . We need company. We need intimacy. It is very important to be around authentic people. We need someone who believes in us. No nay-sayers!

Get Blissiplined - Now!

“We should not feel embarrassed by our difficulties, only by our failures to grow anything beautiful from them. “ ~Alain De Botton

The author and poet Robert Bly says, “go where a man's wound is and that is where his greatest gifts lie”. He nailed it. As a creativity expert, I consistently see how we spend a great deal of time covering up our best parts, thinking them strange or unlovable. Tara Brach, the author of Radical Acceptance, calls our belief in being less-than, the “Trance of Unworthiness”. When we are so mired in our self-loathing, we are indeed in a trance, zoned out and believing the sadistic propaganda of the mind. Buddhist teacher and poet, Mark Nepo says: ”We waste so much energy trying to cover up who we are when beneath every attitude is the want to be loved, and beneath every anger is a wound to be healed and beneath every sadness is the fear that there will not be enough time. Our challenge each day is not to get dressed to face the world but to unglove ourselves.” I am here to teach you a few fun and easy ways to get ungloved, unmasked, and authentic. It all starts inside; in the body.

“There is a gem in the mountain of your body. Seek that mine.”

Rumi

Over the last two decades, I have found a place to take my feelings of unworthiness. And that place is the dance floor. I continue to study many movement forms including; authentic movement, dance therapy, Jungian Expressive Arts, modern dance, African dance, Qigong, contact improvisation. Very carefully, I have created a mindfulness-based healing system that uses dance and movement as it core. I call this system Dance Your Bliss. With it, we can be surprised again and again by where our work takes us and what kind of person we are becoming as we follow it. What can we really learn from our bodies? You might ask... I believe that the body serves as a metaphor for our entire life experience. Roberta was a 58 year-old woman who was very shy and disconnected from her body. She looked so uncomfortable the first day of our workshop that I expected her to leave. But she stuck around. By the close of the workshop, she was brimming with the new beginning that she had created. She not only could love herself – and her body so much more, she felt creative, expressive and alive. But this happens all the time.

In my work, I have danced with hundreds, possibly thousands of people, but I especially love leading those who do not see themselves as dancers, those who deeply want to feel beautiful in the home of their bodies. Becky emailed me several times before my weekend workshop, terrified she would be the “fattest person in the room.” She hadn't danced in years, and couldn't imagine moving in the much bigger body that she now lived in. She imagined the awful shame that the workshop might bring on. Instead, she was able to contact a level of beauty, confidence and sexiness that shocked her. I remember the beautiful expression on her face when she began moving. I could see the narrative in her changing, and by the end of the workshop, she was not only beautiful and more confident, she shared with me that she deeply wanted to lead this kind of work. And she is.

I have a keen and deeply intuitive ability to support and help heal those who are plagued by shame, especially body-related shame. Together, we create a new physical map and script for how they can and will live in these vessels. I love bearing witness to someone who felt stiff, disconnected from their body, leave a workshop with a whole new tool-kit of moves, stretches, and a new story about their body. When we move with authenticity, we can discover and re-cover our inner dancer and creative genius.

When I teach, I show my students a new way to be in – and possibly change and restore - their body's structure, so they can have a different way of experiencing, moving and acting. As my great teacher Daria Halprin says; “It is as if each body part, as well as the duets, choruses, and symphonies between and among the body parts, has a particular piece of a story to tell. Exploring part by part, we uncover and reveal a whole picture of our lives.” We are born on a dance floor called experience. Life is our partner. I support people in developing a new relationship with this ever-present magnificent and tragic partner. 

What do we do in Dance Your Bliss?

Dance Your Bliss employs a full range of the creative arts: movement/dance, drama, voice, painting, poetry and other forms of writing, ritual and performance. I use a blend of modern dance, gentle yoga, mindfulness meditation, contact improv, authentic movement and body-mind centering. I want everyone to find a new relationship with their body. There are so many wonderful, accessible movement forms for all of us. As you know, creating a free and protected space is crucial in the therapeutic relationship. Safety and freedom are two main ingredients in opening up creativity and the creation of the play space. The thrust of my workshops is to ignite the creative process in each person through the use of expressive techniques which bring on healing and growth.

Why not follow the path that is beckoning you? Why not acknowledge that yo are already on your way home. ~David Whyte, The Three Marriages

When we dance we can access preverbal experiences. When the unconscious leads, creative energy begins to flow back into our lives and balance the suffering of life with one's creative potential. My partner Ben loves to play Cricket. That is his bliss. (it doesn't have to be dance). For you it might be golf or swimming or lifting weights or T'ai Chi.  I ask my students to find what they love – that which gives them pleasure, and to do it. Every day.

There is a crack.
A crack in everything.
It's how the light gets in.
~Leonard Cohen

We have this built in, absolutely incredible gift –that we constantly forget about. We are housed in these wonderful bodies, that we spend far too much time judging, or downright hating. To be able to move our bodies is pure pleasure. If one is dealing with chronic pain, there are very gentle and extremely powerful tools. In any creative outlet we have permission to let down our masks. My hope is to create a safe space for people to journey to a more joyful self through dance. Using the 108 structures in Dance Your Bliss allows the whole body to be restored to a state of unity and balance. It is intended as a healing method and expressive arts system that connects us deeply and profoundly to life, each other, and the magic and power in every moment, even the “ordinary” ones. We fall in love with life. I say this as an extreme skeptic.

He who feel it, knows it more.

~Bob Marley

Slow Down and Be Here Now

“Slow Down and Be Here Now”
by Rachel Fleischman, MSW, LCSW
Body-Oriented Psychotherapist and Founder of Dancing Your Bliss


Today is a gift. That's why we call it the present. ~Babatunde Olatunji Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. And today
Studies have shown that Americans are more miserable now than ever. With the challenges that we face economically, it can feel as though we are just hanging on by a thread. This is not so. We all underestimate our need to slow down. If we are not careful, we live as if our schedules are our lives. At the end of the day, we haven’t necessarily been present to our own experience. Mary Pipher, psychologist says: I have never seen people as rushed and distracted as we are now. We have become a nation of multitaskers.”

I am incredibly fortunate to work with my counseling clients. Seeing such a rich and intimate side of people has helped me identify what elements are essential to slowing down and being here now. I feel incredibly privileged to have such a profound connection with people. However the occasions when we genuinely need to rush are really a lot less frequent than we convince ourselves. The simple truth is that rushing has become a habit for many of us. And it has a negative effect on our mental, spiritual and physical health.

Scientists have studied emotions and their effect on cognition and brain function. When we are in good spirits, our cognitive repertoire is broadened. That means we are more able to problem solve, complete tasks and fulfill goals. (Seligman M. E. P. (1991). Learned Optimism. New York: Alfred Knopf. Happiness has even been proven to increase pain tolerance. Negative emotion narrows our thought-action repertoire; tasks not only seem more arduous, they actually are.
When you are rushing the body literally is in panic mode. The physical systems feel as if they are constantly being stressed to meet imaginary deadlines. An occasional shot of adrenaline might be good for you but a continuous stream of it will wear down the body and its immune system. You will tend to get sick more often, feel more fatigued, enervated and listless.
When you are rushing mentally, your mind is always ‘on’. Thoughts of things you need to get done and things you have not yet gotten done keep streaming through your mind making you feel out of sorts and unaccomplished. You may even feel panicked and have trouble sleeping and relaxing. Instead of turning to chemical sleep aides, why not change your habit of rushing around?
First you need to become aware of your daily habits and thoughts. Most of the time when we are rushing, we do not even realize it because it is such an automatic response. For example, I walk fast naturally – excessively so. I walk as fast as I can no matter if I am talking a Sunday evening stroll or walking to work. We all could use slowing down a bit.

By slowing down, and sticking to one experience at a time, we are able to experience more joy. We need to learn to do one thing at a time. Mary Pipher, psychologist, and author of bestselling Reviving Ophelia, says “one of the reasons pets are so popular is that when we are with the, we share their pleasure in being here now. Pets do not live in clock time, and they allow us to rest from chronological time. We join them in older, animal rhythms.” (Seeking Peace, by arrangement with Riverhead books, 2009)

I have dished up a list of some things you can do today to easily slow down, enjoy one activity at a time, and live with more joy. Get ready to Be Here, Now.

1) Plant something; nourishing, feeding, harvesting, a plant can lower blood pressure, strengthen the heart and increase the production of serotonin, the happy chemical. And flowers are beautiful

2) Have Faith; studies have shown that spirituality affects health. In a study of 1,700 older adults, those attending church were half as likely to have elevated levels of IL-6 (hormones associated with increased incidence of disease)

3) Initiate a Slowing-Down Contest– find a friend and email each other some joyful things that you do each day. Your entry can include the simplest of joys; baking, watching a sunset, reading to a child)

4) Read The Artist’s Way (or any good book) (Julia Cameron; 1992, 2002) Many folks have found this ground-breaking book very helpful in goal setting and connecting with their creative genius. I believe that we all our geniuses. We just need the time and space to let our amazing selves shine.

5) Keep a gratitude journal. This is my absolute favorite new pastime. I love it especially when I am sulking in a moment of gloom and doom. I go to my gratitude journal and put in all the things that happened that I am grateful for, like having a seat on the bus, or getting a card in the mail, or enjoying a lovely meal. (nothing is too small). Start your gratitude journal today, and you will notice that you will attract more good things into your world.

6) Check out these smell-the-roses sites, and take it slow…

http://slowdownnow.org/

http://www.43things.com/

http://www.mindfuleating.org/

http://www.slowfood.com/

7) 9. End the day slowly: Having an evening ritual is a balm to the nervous system. Before you go to sleep make sure that there is nothing stressful going on. Dimming the lights sever hours before bedtime relaxes the mind, and intensifies the output of tryptophan, the sleep-inducing hormone. It’s very hard to enjoy a good-night’s sleep after watching the news. Find a slowness ritual that works for you; reading a book, talking to your partner or a friend, drawing, journaling.


8) Play in nature: This is a lovely way to help you slow down. To enjoy nature you have to be patient, Go to the beach, look at the sea and listen to the waves. Visit the county side, look at the greenery and listen to the birds chirping on the trees. Admire the blooming flowers in your garden and study the snail crawling on the ground. These are some of the delightful things that you can do to take it easy. And here in SF, there is nature all around us.

9) Slow Your Attention: Slowing down helps give our full-attention to what we are doing. Like full-attention Zen, slowing down can put us in the zone, or what Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls flow (“Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience”). Try walking more slowly. Pause before responding to questions. Speak more slowly. Does this feel awkward? Why?

10) Practice Meditating: The first years of the twenty-first century have brought about new and surprising findings about how Buddhist contemplative training can affect the brain. The findings include unprecedented levels of brain activation in certain regions of the brain during meditation, evidence that meditation affects brain areas associated with to positive emotions, as well as strong evidence the brain can be changed through prolonged and disciplined mental training. (J. Davidson, et al., Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation, Psychosomatic medicine 65.4 (2003): 564-70.)
Men, for the sake of getting a living, forget to live. ~ Margaret Fuller.
Rachel Fleischman, MSW, LCSW is a highly-skilled psychotherapist and dynamic workshop leader, based in San Francisco. Throughout her career, Rachel has pioneered the combination of traditional psychotherapy with movement, body awareness and spirituality.
Embodying 20 years of expertise, Rachel's body of work synthesizes a vast repertoire of movement and healing arts. Bringing her unique specialty of Body-Mind Psychotherapy, she unlocks issues held inside the body: like fear, anger, depression and creative blocks. She unlocks these issues through her proprietary work merging talk therapy with expressive arts (sometimes with breath, & movement techniques) so that these issues don't become diseases in our bodies.
Rachel's fascination with spirituality, soul, mood disorders, and movement, has led her to develop a movement system called Dance Your Bliss™, a playful, powerful and highly original movement form which she leads across the globe.www.dancingyourbliss.com

Kick Depression Out of Bed; Snuggle up with Joy Instead.

"My mind is like a bad neighborhood. I try never to go there alone."

~Ann Lamont; author
No doubt about it.
Having treated dozens of individuals with depression over the years, while reading countless books on the treatment of this "noonday demon", I still believe that the number one factor that really enables me to get to the heart of this malady is my firsthand experience with it
That's right. Not only am I a psychotherapist, I am also a bonafide client as well.
I know I would be ashamed to think of what mine might write.
The brain is plastic. It is the last part of our body to really know something. When we tell our brain that life is awful and we are doomed, our brain tends to agree. In fact, I have noticed that when we when I experience a bout of depression, it is often triggered by events where I feel exposed as a "failure".
My way out usually begins with a decision. A decision to feel better.
Get out of your head and into your feet
The body craves movement. Exercise really works. Let's not think of it as exercise though. Nothing is gnarlier to the depressed person than imagining him/herself at the gym in ill fitting sweats, panting on the stair master while svelte athletes are bopping around in all directions.
As Woody Allen says, 90% of success is showing up. Once we've got our walking shoes on, once we get endorphins cooking, the doldrums have less power to penetrate .
As Woody Allen says, 90% of success is showing up. Once we've got our walking shoes on, once we get endorphins cooking, the doldrums have less power to penetrate .
Turn on music! Now!
I recommend that my clients have an arsenal of inspiring and fun music at their fingertips.
I have even been known to make CD's for my clients. When we're depressed, the smallest task feels overwhelming. If I can kick-start someone's joy, then I am thrilled.
Turn on the light and sit in the sun.
Many of us work in windowless cubicles or offices, and wonder why we feel blue.
This time of year, when the sun sets earlier, we must 's dark out in autumn and winter, get a light, get some sun, get some more sun. And if there is no sun in your world, then buy a full-spectrum light. Get one cheap on E-bay.
This time of year, when the sun sets earlier, we must 's dark out in autumn and winter, get a light, get some sun, get some more sun. And if there is no sun in your world, then buy a full-spectrum light. Get one cheap on E-bay.
Hang out with 4-leggeds. (Unless of course, you're allergic)
Having an animal companion near can instantly relaease oxytocin, that magical hormone that we secrete when we fall in love, give birth, or are nursing. It releases a feeling of goodwill, or trust in the world.
OK, so not all of all are blessed to be in love all the time, or be breast feeding, so I recommend my clients find other ways to bring on the joy chemical. Read on.
Change your thoughts. Right now.
We have around 60,000.00 thoughts per day. 87% of them are negative and are the same thoughts we had yesterday.
I use realistic affirmations, which, at times are posted all over my room. Notice I said realistic.
People tell me, "I put an affirmation up on my bedroom wall, saying:"I am ready to meet a gorgeous, successful, charming man who will adore and worship me." It's been 3 months. Where is he?" I tell them; "You have made yourself more open to meeting this human. Finding him is another story. Sorry."
Follow a joyous lifestyle. Choose joyous entertainment.
find a class, a workout, anything that gets you in your body, preferably sweating a bit.
Affirm joy with words.
Rudyard Kipling said "I am by calling a dealer in words. And words are by far the most powerful drug in the world". It may seem trite, but changing the way we speak can be extremely influential in changing our moods.
Grab hold of a goal.
Make it a do-able one. Happiness and joy come from goals. We mustn't put off our lives.
Cultivate a relationship with the divine.
We are whom our higher self wanted to experience.
There is some truth to the pithy phrase: There's no aetheists in foxholes.
Have a smidgens of faith and the world can be a gentler space.
Choose joyous companions.
When we are depressed, we take our bored, sluggish selves wherever we go. We need distractions. We need company. We need intimacy. It is very important to be around authentic people. We need someone who believes in us. No nay-sayers!
http://www.dancingyourbliss.com

Depression sucks.
Depression started tugging at my heels by the time I was 8 years old. By 16, the dean of my high-school would call me each morning to make sure I got out of bed and showed up at school, instead of sleeping all day. By 30, I had two boyfriends; Ben and Jerry. Today, I still have low moments, but they are far less often, and last far less long. When my clients tell me that they are surprised that I really "get them", I often share that I have had my personal struggles with depression.

"The mind is a terrible thing to watch." ~Ann Lamont

I agree. Imagine if we had a scribe in our heads, even for a day.
Having done a great deal of research on depression, I have heard many expert opinions regarding its etymology. I have heard everything from environmental, historical, genetic, energetic, past-lives, DNA-related, trauma-based, kharmic law. One thing is for sure; when we got it, we got it, and it can be crippling.

What folks may not know is that there are very useful tricks we can use to alleviate a sour mood.

So, I decided to compile my "Top 10 Tricks to Kick Depression out of Bed, and Snuggle up with Joy Instead."

Write these down, stick em on your wall, and put them in motion.

First trick:

Second trick:

Third trick:

Fourth trick:

Fifth trick:

Experiencing joy is a deliberate choice. Joy takes practice. Joy is hardcore.
We must remember that affirmations don't make something happen, they make something welcome.
Sixth Trick:
Seventh Trick:
Eighth Trick:
Ninth Trick:
Tenth Trick: