If you want to reduce stress, try kindness #25actsofjoy

’25 Acts of Joy’ is an advent activity - 25 activities in December leading up to and including the 25th.  I devised to help a friend deal with her grief. In concentrating on supporting others in the community, she shifted her thoughts from negative to positive. Sounds like the Pitbull song! 

Positive feelings increase happiness and protect against depression. These uplifting thoughts can build resilience and actually change our brains! Over time, they can help us live longer and prosper. In Lisa Lisson’s book ‘Resilience Navigating Life, Loss and the Road to Success’ book she writes she has learned it’s impossible to deny the pain of grief. She outran it for a while but found it eventually demanded her attention. The only way she got through it was focusing on what she had to be thankful for and I have witnessed Lisa giving back to young women, taking time to support and mentor them through their career climbs. A beautiful soul that knows in her heart sharing happiness helps you to thrive.

The holidays are some of the most stressful times of the year.  We do it to ourselves – we put so much on our plates – the perfect cookies, the hot chocolate stations, one more at the dinner table, sure! How about we re-evaluate our holidays and forge new traditions to increase our positive hormones!

’25 Acts of Joy’ is twenty-five activities for us to give back to our families, friends and communities. They are simple tasks that will bring joy to others and in doing so return to us. Whether it be throwing dimes on a sidewalk to the delight of school children or dropping off a big print book to the long term care homes in your area. Try to do a few, try to do all of the activities and find your joy!

May you truly have a joy-filled holiday and experience #reikijoy #payingitforward.

Check us out on Instagram and Facebook and join in. Tag your friends and family and show us your holiday joy participating in the '25ActsofJoy' - you're appreciated.