Perhaps you’re like me—someone with a tendency to look for the worst case scenarios. When awesome moments find you, there’s a voice in the back of your mind whispering, “will this last?”
Anxiety wears many masks, but its most dangerous one is a salesman. He tries to convince you it’s not worth living in the moment, especially the happy ones, because there’s always something to fear. Something to worry about. Something to plan for, just in case life takes a turn…
Sometimes, our anxiety sells us our fear so well, we hardly realize the joy we’re avoiding. Our capacity to feel the thrills of life dulls without us noticing our own white knuckles—worry becomes a natural companion to our joy, and we don’t question it.
So how do you combat your mind’s defaults? How do learn to embrace joy without the undertone of worry?
Lean into happiness.
When you feel your heart warming with peace, contentment, and joy, become fully aware of the sensations you’re feeling—including the anxiety lingering in the back of your mind.
Remind yourself that happy moments come and go just like all things in life. You can’t control the future, but you can control how you respond to the present moment. Lean in. Let your joy sweep away the fear and deepen your smile. Allow your gratitude for this awesome moment to overpower that anxious voice. It may feel scary to let go of anxiety, even for just a moment, but it will feel better to experience happiness fully.
The more you truly feel the full extent of happiness when it comes, the more you’ll accept happiness into your day. That first sip of coffee in the morning, the snuggles from your dog, the cool sheets when you crawl into bed at night—these tiny moments will become opportunities to truly, deeply feel good.
Truly feeling a grateful, content level of “good” will keep your heart and mind open, ready to attract more positive moments.
So if you’re like me and tend to see the glass as half empty, practice noticing happy little moments when they come—and lean in!
If you enjoyed this article on happiness, you might enjoy reading my post called, “Find Happiness in the Little Things”. I hope you find these posts encouraging! Remember—you’ve got this! ♡