Soul Medicine

   
"A merry heart does good like a medicine: but a broken spirit dries the bones." (Proverbs 17:22, AKJV)

A merry heart is like medicine for your soul, but sadness, depression, and despair can drain your strength. During the holiday season, you can feel lonely, hopeless, mournful, grief-stricken, or gloomy, because of the year that you’ve had, goals still unmet, loved ones lost, and relationships ended. The last thing you might feel is “happy” or “merry”. There is still time to turn things around, and end the year on a cheerful note. Consider these eight ways to bring gladness to your soul and have a merry heart:

G - Gratitude
L - Laughter
A - Attitude
D - Dancing
N -Niceness
E – Eating
S – Socializing
S – Sleep

Gratitude

My personal motto is: “In everything, find the blessing.” It's hard to be depressed or sad when you start to think about your blessings. If you focus on what you do have and not on what you don't have, gratitude is easy. A quote by an unknown author says it best: “If you haven’t all the things you want, be grateful for the things you don’t have that you wouldn’t want.” To sum that quote: be thankful, because things could be worse. That can be a hard pill for some to swallow, if your pain is raw and fresh. The comforting thought is that, even in the midst of pain and turmoil, there is always something to be thankful for. Center your heart and mind on those things to help bring gladness to your soul.

Laughter

Fun and humor can invoke laughter. Laughter makes your heart light and takes the focus off of your issues and problems. Laughter can distract you from anger, guilt, stress, and negative emotions. Laughter is even good for your health. Some health benefits of laughter include lowering blood pressure; strengthening cardiovascular functions; reducing stress hormones; improving circulation; increasing muscle flexion; boosting the respiratory system; boosting immune function; releasing endorphins; and producing a general sense of well-being. We’ve all heard the saying, “Laughter is the best medicine.” In keeping with this saying, Humor Therapy has emerged, in which the therapists see beneficial effects from the use of positive emotions associated with laughter. So, watch a comedy. Read a funny story. Listen to some jokes. Think of funny situations. Have a laugh today and help make your heart merry and your day bright.

Attitude

Attitude is everything – at least having the proper attitude is. In the midst of issues and bad circumstances, it is easy to focus on what is going wrong, instead of what is going right. It takes the same amount of energy and mental effort to be optimistic as it does to be pessimistic, but being positive carries benefits that being negative does not. Your outlook determines your outcome. If your outlook is positive, so is the outcome. Positive thoughts promote positive feelings. Positive feelings promote positive actions. When you do positive things, you feel good. And positivity is contagious. When you are positive around and toward others, they also tend to swing in the positive direction. Your attitude is your choice. Choose to think positive, happy thoughts. Happy thoughts lead to happy feelings and a merry heart.

Dancing

Dancing, like laughing, has many benefits. Dancing exercises your body, mind, and soul. Dancing can strengthen your muscles; improve your flexibility, tone, and coordination; help with weight loss; improve your posture; increase your confidence; and lift your mood. Dancing is very freeing. Try being sad, depressed, angry, or despondent while you are dancing. It’s virtually impossible. So put your dancing shoes on, and dance your way to better health and a better mood. Take a dance class, go to a party, get your praise on, celebrate!

Niceness

The Dalia Lama said, “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” Being kind, compassionate, and nice induces happy feelings in self and others. Acts of kindness, large and small, can go a long way in helping others feel better, and lift your own spirits in the process. The bonus is niceness begets niceness. When you are kind to others, they are kind to you. Being nice and kind to others releases the body’s “feel good” hormones, endorphins, and leads to a “helper’s high” of elated feelings. Niceness counters depression, hostility, and helplessness, and increases self-worth, happiness, and optimism. So take the time to be kind to others, to make your soul glad and your heart merry.

Eating

It might seem weird to see “Eating” as a way to have a merry heart, but food can be comforting to the soul. In Ecclesiastes, Solomon said, “So I commended pleasure, for there is nothing good for a man under the sun except to eat and to drink and to be merry, and this will stand by him in his toils throughout the days of his life which God has given him under the sun.” Imagine how you feel when you have your favorite treat. I’m sure it puts smile on your face and a little joy in your heart. I am not advocating binging, overindulging, or falling off the wagon. The point here is to treat yourself to something good and tasty. It will give your soul a lift. So, eat, drink, and be merry!

Socializing

People need people, even introverts and loners. Being around other people can lift your spirits. Social interaction can be a cure for loneliness and depression. When we are around others, we feel loved, supported, needed and included. When we interact with others, we have a sense of belonging and there’s meaning to life. Interacting with others can be therapeutic. Through conversations and sharing with others, you can obtain stress relief and emotional release. So, help to make your heart happy and merry. Get out there, and mix and mingle!

Sleep

It’s amazing how a good night’s sleep will make you feel. You awake with more energy and a better outlook. I know that I get a little grumpy when I am too sleep-deprived (food deprived, too, for that matter). Sleep is essential in rejuvenating the mind, regenerating cells, and balancing hormones, like the stress hormone, cortisol. Getting insufficient sleep causes an increase in cortisol levels, which can lead to hypertension and depression. Not only does getting a good night’s sleep decrease cortisol and stress levels, it reenergizes your body for the next day. Many of us go day after day with a sleep deficit. If your mind and body do not ever have a chance to fully recharge, then your soul, the center of your emotions, does not have an opportunity to recharge either. Get a good 7 – 9 hours of sleep per night to rejuvenate, regenerate, de-stress, and have a merry heart.

To have a glad soul and happy heart during this holiday season, be thankful for your blessings, laugh, adjust your attitude, dance, be nice, eat some good treats, get out there and socialize, and get plenty of sleep. If you do, your holidays will be merry and bright!


Jacinta M. Gray,
The Couch Coach