A Poem, Note and Helpful Checklist
Calm Joy…When Did You Last Feel Relaxed & Happy?
If it’s been some time, here are suggestions that help me…maybe they’ll work for you too?
Do you know the feeling ~ when you’re beyond happy. Yet in a serene way?
Maybe you call it bliss? Or awe?
Have you felt it lately? I hope so…
Maybe it’s been a bit elusive though? With what’s going on in the world (or personal challenges you’re facing).
Is it a state accessed more in childhood… yet maybe less so as we grow?
Well I’m including 3 tried and tested ways that help me feel more Calm Joy. Maybe they could help you? One I include is within the second of 2 short poems…
Ooo… exciting I hear you say.
Or maybe not :)
Either way… let’s find out a little more about Calm Joy…
Calm Joy is a joy that is precious…
So special
From the inside it flows & glows outwards…
’Til smiles & eyes twinkle appear on the outside
Embrace it
The times you feel Calm Joy…
♾️
© The Positive Poet 2023
Would you agree? That moments in Calm Joy are precious…
They can certainly be great for health. Acting as a reset for the nervous system. With our parasympathetic nervous system likely to be dominating, it means we feel safe & relaxed. Our heart rate lowers, we optimally digest nutrition from food we’ve eaten, and a myriad of other health benefits can occur…
Physical tensions in the body can relax ~ so we feel more at ease, with less aches & pains. Wound healing occurs more quickly and easily. And it can lead us to enjoy a quieter mind, with clearer thinking leading to easier decision-making.
After experiencing Calm Joy, it’s likely we’ll feel more energised too… ready to face the rest of our day with new vigour… and a sense of purpose.
Seems pretty worthwhile spending more time feeling Calm Joy then?
Perhaps you’ve been reading this though, wondering what the heck I’m going on about… with this ‘Calm Joy’ stuff?
And that’s ok. It’s not a well-recognised phrase that I’m aware of.
And joy is often thought of as a lively & exuberant kind of feeling…
However, I do sincerely hope you’ve felt ‘Calm Joy’ in your life.
Because as a species, it’s healthy for us humans to mostly be thriving.
In fact it’s said it’s meant to be our normal.
Are many people living this way nowadays do you think?
Are you?
Regularly accessing states like happiness & relaxation?
If not, maybe it’s time for a few changes… to daily habits you have? Below are 3 ways I help myself access calm joy often… maybe you do these already? Or perhaps they’ll be helpful reminders for you…
One
Checking all basic needs are met daily. In my experience this is foundational for setting us up to experience Calm Joy regularly. Below is a checklist I’ve had on display for a while…
I encourage you to look down the list below, and see if these needs are being met for you currently most days (and please know it’s ok if they aren’t!). It’s often small tweaks for the better in one area that help us… and they lead to changes for the better in others as well.
The first step of meeting an unmet need is to become aware of it… so placing this list somewhere it’s seen daily (on a fridge… a noticeboard?) means it can be handy to check through.
Here’s N.E.S.S.T.S
- Nutritious food & drink you enjoy ~ including enough water.
- Exercise & movement that’s varied & truly enjoyable ~ including stretching and strengthening ~ with time outside ideally (as it attunes us to our natural Circadian rhythm, helping us sleep better, plus giving us an opportunity to create Vitamin D from sunlight).
- Safe shelter to feel at ease in. (Cosy? Warm? Dry? Light? How do you like the places you’re in to be?)
- Sleep & Rest when they’re needed, that recharge us fully, leaving us truly rejuvenated. With a spring in our step, and a twinkle in our eye!
- Time for self, doing what’s enjoyable & fun ~ maybe creative… in the flow or the ‘zone’…
- Support & connection when it’s needed ~ maybe as simple as a hug or a chat, a brief friendly message, or help from a Professional (I’ve written on this topic previously).
Without the above needs being met, it can be challenging to relax fully… and find great happiness.
And who else here wishes these needs were being met for everyone on this planet?
Yes?
Well imagine with me for a moment if this were actually true…
Wouldn’t it be amazing…?
So first of all let’s take care of ourselves. Ensure our needs are met (maybe there are others not included above ~ personal for you?). And take small steps in the direction of meeting them. Then we can go on to help others from our overflow…
Two
Another way I maximise how often I experience Calm Joy is by being outdoors often.
Yet maybe you’re thinking, ‘I’ve heard this a thousand times now… blah…blah…blah’…
So if you do this very often too ~ and enjoy a deep connection with nature ~ feel free to skip ahead to the third way I experience Calm Joy (where you can experience it today too, yes indeed).
Or… stay and answer these questions honestly now if you like…
How often do you honestly go outside? How many days a week do you prioritise it? Really?
And how often do you take the time to slow down and notice what’s around you? Truthfully.
Now how about we remember back to our childhoods. Do you recall staring at something outside & losing track of time … maybe you were fascinated by a few blades of grass… or clouds in the sky floating past? How about an unusually shaped stone that caught your attention? Or the first snowfall in winter ~ noticing snowflakes individually?
Have you experienced these kinds of moments outside?
Even if it was a while ago?
Do you personally love how beautiful flowers look when you take the time to notice them close up? Or feel Calm Joy seeing birds soaring high overhead… watching bees or butterflies flitting and gathering nectar… or by water flowing gently… in a river… or a stream?
What do you personally love to enjoy, about the world we share ~ outdoors?
So clearly in my experience Calm Joy is often found outside pretty easily (away from a screen!)… and when slowing down too. This last part is pretty key. Do you find the same?
I do realise while writing this though, not everyone can take huge amounts of time away from work, or tasks they need to do. I experienced this myself, when working as a Health Professional. Hurried lunch breaks were the norm and days felt very stressful.
Yet just 5 or 10 minutes appreciating being outdoors can really transform a day, in many brilliant ways can’t it.
Maybe though you’re an inner city dweller?
Well I’ll share I’ve lived, studied & worked in different countries, and different types of locations. Including busy cities. And the parks and green spaces they contain can be havens of peace can’t they. With Calm Joy we find there being carried forwards through our next moments…
Even a single majestic tree ~ or whatever you find in your neighbourhood through the seasons ~ like crunchy leaves to walk on, or snow looking like ‘nature’s glitter’ in sunshine… can be enough to evoke more calm & enjoyment.
So, 5 or 10 minutes outdoors…
Going slowly
Really noticing what’s around…
Can we all add more of this into our days?
Three
The third and last way I access Calm Joy is within the following poem…
Remember a place where you felt something special
A wonderful Calm Joy is present
Revisit that place ~ imagine you’re there
Breathe in what you feel (like you’re still there…)
Bring into you fully the peace of that place…
Now enjoy as you move through your day here…
♾️
© The Positive Poet 2023
Imagination. It’s a powerful thing isn't it…
And something we can access any place, at any time.
So Calm Joy could join us now if we choose it…
Go on… close your eyes for a moment if you like (and are in a place where you can and are comfy doing so), and think back to a beautifully calm, joyful moment you once experienced… and simply breathe for a few moments…
Ahhh…
Feeling calmer? And happier?
Now let’s take those feelings with us shall we. And return to them whenever we need to :)
If you’d like to now, you’re welcome to share how often you usually experience ‘Calm Joy’? Would you actually call it something different?
And what would you add to my list of 3 ways to find Calm Joy?
I’m a lifelong learner… and interested to know what works for you too. Bye for now, Posi 😊🌟💫
*The acronym N.E.S.T.S is something I came across several years ago here. I adapted it to N.E.S.S.T.S, with an extra S, however would like to give credit and gratitude to the original source.
Thank you for being here. I’m The Positive Poet (or Posi for short). If you like what I write, you’re welcome to sign up to receive an email when I share new Poems & Notes :)
All Poems, Notes, Words, Videos & Images I share are created enjoyably with love, and are © The Positive Poet 2017 — to date.