I really enjoyed this conversation. You brought up some great truths. I agree that happiness and joy are fleeting - we cannot live in a constant state of either although we are pushed to believe that we should be able to. I prefer “contentment”, this is a state of positive and calm that we can definitely ease our way into. Highs and lows will happen, that’s life. Contentment is the baseline that we can come back to.
Our brains are really good at hanging on to the negative aspects of emotions - it’s all about survival. So, I think the real work is transforming the degree to which our brain thinks we are always in danger. Achieving this is really, really welcoming to our nervous system.
Hi Dana. Contentment! I don't think we even used that word during our conversation, and what an important word it is. I shall be giving this some thought. I've recently been distracted by the thought that underneath it all, I am always okay, despite myself. Perhaps this is similar to that baseline contentment you mention 🤔 Thanks for your insights and for commenting.
Thanks for the invite. Please check the FAQ page on my website for our interview guidelines. (Still getting the hang of Substack so not sure if this is the best way to reply.)
Hi Bronnie, very exciting to hear from you. Your book is amazing. I have just passed it onto my wife who is enjoying it also. This is the best way to reply to posts and you can also reach us at everydaytherapist@gmail.com. I'm sure you will have a massive following here on substack in a very short space of time. It's a great community and they will LOVE your work. This is a new podcast and we hope you enjoy listening - all the best Rich 😊
Loved this episode guys. I also have thoughts on choosing to be happy. I think it can be almost impossible to choose happiness, because you could be in a really tough situation in life that just doesn’t allow for that choice. But I think there is a way to choose or find joy in most situations. Small seeds of joy, that can lift a day. I was also thinking that you can choose the way you react as well - perhaps this is what they were talking about. Instead of choosing to react badly or to put ourselves down, we can choose self compassion, or we can choose to let things go and in turn this brings some happiness. It’s a huge question 😃
I love this Ellie and I think you are spot on. I am a big believer in allowing ourselves to experience our emotions, whatever they are, and allowing them to be part of our human experience. With that though - they don’t need to control or take over the situation as we always have the capacity to choose our response, even with difficult emotions present.
I really enjoyed this conversation. You brought up some great truths. I agree that happiness and joy are fleeting - we cannot live in a constant state of either although we are pushed to believe that we should be able to. I prefer “contentment”, this is a state of positive and calm that we can definitely ease our way into. Highs and lows will happen, that’s life. Contentment is the baseline that we can come back to.
Our brains are really good at hanging on to the negative aspects of emotions - it’s all about survival. So, I think the real work is transforming the degree to which our brain thinks we are always in danger. Achieving this is really, really welcoming to our nervous system.
Thank you for listening and for your thoughts Dana. Being content with life does sound like a wonderful and calm place to be.
Hi Dana. Contentment! I don't think we even used that word during our conversation, and what an important word it is. I shall be giving this some thought. I've recently been distracted by the thought that underneath it all, I am always okay, despite myself. Perhaps this is similar to that baseline contentment you mention 🤔 Thanks for your insights and for commenting.
Thanks for the invite. Please check the FAQ page on my website for our interview guidelines. (Still getting the hang of Substack so not sure if this is the best way to reply.)
Hi Bronnie, very exciting to hear from you. Your book is amazing. I have just passed it onto my wife who is enjoying it also. This is the best way to reply to posts and you can also reach us at everydaytherapist@gmail.com. I'm sure you will have a massive following here on substack in a very short space of time. It's a great community and they will LOVE your work. This is a new podcast and we hope you enjoy listening - all the best Rich 😊
Loved this episode guys. I also have thoughts on choosing to be happy. I think it can be almost impossible to choose happiness, because you could be in a really tough situation in life that just doesn’t allow for that choice. But I think there is a way to choose or find joy in most situations. Small seeds of joy, that can lift a day. I was also thinking that you can choose the way you react as well - perhaps this is what they were talking about. Instead of choosing to react badly or to put ourselves down, we can choose self compassion, or we can choose to let things go and in turn this brings some happiness. It’s a huge question 😃
I love this Ellie and I think you are spot on. I am a big believer in allowing ourselves to experience our emotions, whatever they are, and allowing them to be part of our human experience. With that though - they don’t need to control or take over the situation as we always have the capacity to choose our response, even with difficult emotions present.
Thanks, Ellie. Happiness is a tough one, that's for sure. Joy is probably a more stable thing to aim for 🤔