Joy Archives - Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Fika Happy Break Today

Fika is a concept in Sweden for a coffee break. And that in America has gotten smaller as coffee is all-day brewing.

This was a cappuccino Fika moment ☕️ I enjoyed in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Fika has grown to mean so much more about life.

Especially post-2020.

Those humbling, bittersweet years wherever you were on the planet grew you no matter what age you were.

We can now all look back…

To then when you got more you-experiences discovering more about yourself with change of routines… and as you interrupted your usual patterns.

And in more recent years, you found your groove back and learned tips for healthy balanced living.

You and I can appreciate what we have better, today.

You can now live the 80/20 real life vs. digital world that we dreamed of and no longer in Zoom fatigue settlement.

But those growing years gave us new insight. You don’t wanna lose all the good you developed from 2020.

And you can lean into a couple Fika points reminders:

-still slow down and make time to take a daily break (you can use you won’t get this day back as a self-reminder). Slowing down allows for new ideas to break through from the space break opportunity you carve out.

-appreciate daily simple joys and small happy pleasures (…maybe sweets 🍥?), healthy snacks and beverages.

Ok, one more…

– maintain some quiet time that can include reading, journaling, yoga, meditation, or enjoying sitting still with a cup of coffee and your soul. And if you dare, listen to your spirit.

This gets us away from love and into the noisy gong and clanging cymbal of the world that’s full of fear.

Silence is where you can hear the love whispers that’s inside each of us.

And then breaking out of silence or Fika moments, you want to immerse yourself in life to appreciate life.

You may have remembered not too long ago when an employee usually older than you said they were going on a coffee break and then disappeared.

That idea disappeared…

And so did the idea of driving out of your way to find a pot of coffee in America. It was helpful not to be a coffee drinker as you’d be in a diner or a 7-11. Coffee was more a morning ritual only.

These days coffee counters are everywhere in any metro suburban area, so people have re-appeared and coffee culture is running all day.

…Sometimes we even spend all day at a coffee shop balancing real life and our devices that we’re on. The digital nomad is not a new concept and finding fika is a way of living.

Years before I took on this lifestyle, I was getting inspired sitting and people watching where some of the famous writers like Ernest Hemingway and Jean-Paul Satre sat in a famous cafe.

That was doing fika compared to people hovering over a coffee machine that has replaced the office water cooler.

These days in America, everyone is armed with their own water-filled water bottles.

And then back at home…

Making coffee is a Fika opportunity to slow down and feel joy breaks.

Since modern research shows coffee as anti-inflammatory, it’s aligned with mind-body connection happy and healthy… that’s naturally in the coffee caffeine.

Coffee caffeine is especially a healthy energy alternative to caffeinated sodas that have too much unhealthy sugar.

But I think it’s good to get the sugar hype out of the system when you’re younger when your body isn’t so critical about what you consume…

Sodas was my breakfast starting out journey… that was later replaced with morning coffee and writing that aligned hand-in-hand with blogging. 📝

…And I’m sure you have your own beverage journey that aligned with your growing ways.

My daily routine is cold brew as less harsh/lower acidity and less bitter if that matters to you and your body. Cold brew vs. iced coffee are not the same thing.

It takes about as much effort to make a. cup of cold brew (as using a coffee machine), so maybe that’s something to consider. 💭

You can easily learn how to make a perfect cold brew coffee you’ll enjoy!… that’s even your younger inner child could have made years ago (but maybe stayed away from bitter). 😀

…Or maybe that could have been a similar story line in your green tea journey where you didn’t start off liking the bitter leaves.

…and now can tolerate (or prefer with your 180 degree changes as you change… or since your tea was better prepared in the lower 180 degree water temp 😀).

Which btw if tea is your jam, a tea break or afternoon tea is another Fika way to slow down. It’s not all about coffee anymore.

And maybe it’s plain water or healthy water drinks or you’re looking for new inspo for a few anti-inflammatory, healthy dry January drink, or tea ideas.

These can all be part of the Fika in the afternoon.

In America, we call this an afternoon snack break where America is home of the snacks. 🇺🇸 You can go into any size grocery store and see aisles full.

And you can healthy challenge yourself to make home healthy snacks to also slow down and relax.

Relaxed, you get to change your rhythm and feel the happy effects that lead to an overall productive day or Part 2 of your day.

Some light sweet or savory snacks for your Fika could be all you need to keep going in the right direction for your day:

Some ideas: try a one-bowl low-sugar chocolate chip oatmeal cookie that’ll do the sweet satiating trick over cravings. Or a healthier cinnamon roll or a buckwheat ginger snap cookie. Buckwheat is gluten-free, btw.

And maybe Fika tea party?… with the best way to make chai that you can pair with no-bake chai balls. Leave the cooking and baking for another time.

You can add Swedish-inspired savory Fika smorgas (open faced sandwiches).

You can make a healthy microgreen einkorn sandwich bread platter version mixing the growing microgreen culture (that I barely remember grew outta the alfalfa sprouts craze 🌱).

In catering, we called these finger sandwiches on a platter that always were a hit. The crusts were cut off.

And for similar effects, you can also leave the sandwiches open (smorgas) for less bread ratio.

Smorgas is different than a smorgasboard. That means sandwich table.

…Which wich is not just one sandwich!

Smorgasbord today as we know is a buffet (table) in American culture.

That’s the more-is-more approach.

With Fika, you can master the art of enjoyment that leads to contentment, and appreciate less-is-more with a light and balanced table.

Blend this with coffee culture and tea blends, and you have a daily reason to celebrate… and be grateful for the simple things that happened (and the bad ones that didn’t).

And simply appreciate this moment. ⏳

Hope Grows Our Spirituality

Hope is what keeps us motivated in any situation that well… seems hopeless. And in hopeful or hope-filled moods, we grow our spirituality… that opposes the outward feelings we have.

This article is about changing your moods back to hope and happy ones where you started and how you find your H.O.P.E…

First of all, our lives are rigged in our favor: we are meant to be blessed.

Often what is unfavorably happening to us in our situations is actually meant to help us in some way.

Finding what that is helps you.

Resetting and looking at your blessed life, as not what it once was peppered with past problems bypasses today’s sour moods.

Your life has grown better.

…And it’s meant to grow even better!

Better requires more experience and to be prepared for what’s ahead so we don’t fall flat on our faces. Challenges are healthy to keep us on the course!

Staying on course helps bring us back to our hope.

No matter the situation (favorable or not), as birthright we are called to hope in our situations if we want to prosper… (even when the stars aren’t exactly aligned 🌠).

You can always find a silver lining in the clouds if you want to. Because you were lucky enough to be born that will transcend this life if you believe.

And that’s where the rubber meets the road… 🛞

That’s the difference between your former younger self and who you are today, more mature in beliefs.

Today, you get to do so much more.

The former problems you had before are no longer in your life.

You have other replaced or new situations that ultimately have created a better life for you.

…Life that maybe is not the way you planned in your mind, but is good when you look back and see the golden nuggets.

Those misalignments helped you out in some way.

And your future will be even better because of these re-routes when you keep your moods from souring your day… or you pause from knee-jerk reactions you once would’ve made and regretted.

Today’s Situations

And today you have situations you are waiting on to pan out.

That’s this life in a nutshell… otherwise, you’d stop trying for your best life if things were so easy and you wanted nothing.

…Well, when you put it that way. 💭

I realized from taking a sabbatical year-off years ago that not having a work schedule or consistent daily purpose is a double-edge sword.

Sleep and physical health nursed and healed me back to life but then gradually a new stress grew from the mental stress (of not having a purpose).

And that eventually became stress on the body in the mind-body connection. As a result, waking up at 3 am every night was enough of a wake-up call for me.

…I also found I didn’t have the same exciting stuff to talk about with friends… I was basically just tagging along to their happenings. And I wasn’t quick on my toes in responses like I had been.

So I plugged back into my optimal life. 🔌

That break was enough for me to believe anti-retirement is the best way… ALWAYS.

We are happiest when we’re sharing about what’s happening in our lives and not living in the shadows of others.

Plus, life is too short to watch life go by.

And even if you’re waiting for a few situations to manifest, you can be an active participant making impact on other areas of your (and others’ lives) that’s not like throwing spaghetti at the wall. 🍝

…You’re actually building something for the future that takes time to build with your gifts and talents.

That’s a good plan if the timing isn’t there yet for what you know or have an inkling will be, and that you’re hoping for most. Take heart. ❤️

And when your doubtful mind takes over your knowing mind, get outside.

Signs of hope can be found daily around us… like the hope reminders below to remind us to Have Open Peace Everyday.

And these flowers don’t need hope. They just bloom for our enjoyment and appreciation.

Hope can be found in flowers like these peonies that bloom every May.

Earth laughs in flowers.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

We can rely on hope symbols like flowers on earth to find our inner peace (and distract our unproductive mind).

Dialing down our moods and loud thoughts is a healthy habit that we do as smart adults that used to get tossed to and from by our thoughts.

If we lean into hope and conviction in our beliefs, then we won’t fall when we’re in battle with our minds and moods.

Or else we’re back to Square One, tossed around like the daily wind that causes waves 🌊

So if we solidly know at our core what we believe, then we can withstand the tests.

…And if you’re a natural Vata body like I am, you and I need no more wind!

The stronger we make our beliefs for our best life, the stronger we are… and can lasso the moon that has the dreams we want. 🌙

Our belief grows with faith that our dreams will come to pass even when we see no evidence at all.

…Like flowers that haven’t bloomed but we know one day will in ripe season. 🌻

Having firm beliefs and hope inside us keeps us going.

When we listen to our gut whispers, heart feelings, or what is promised to us that we’re aware of, then we are aligned with hope planted in our heart. 🪴

Our heart dreams will come to pass.

These are gentle impressions that only we ultimately know that arrive as passing thoughts and desires.

And yet our hope is that it will happen in our future. And if it doesn’t now or within a foreseeable timeframe, then we can re-route our way of thinking today to a new plan.

There’s only good in looking at hope for our productive life.

And if our flesh feelings or thoughts make us feel hopeless (that’s part of our human moody make up), our job or better way is to find our way back to hope (and NOT give up).

We can focus on the good things and progress that have happened as a result of or despite our situation, or what has happened.

That keeps us hopeful and chin up.

And then in better spirits, we can keep on moving, so that good things continue to happen and grow.

…Focusing on areas that are productive and peaceful in our lives.

H.O.P.E. today so that you keep building what is meant for you (and will actually last when it’s ready)…

Here’s what each letter stands for:

H – Have resilience. When we get certain about what we want in life, we don’t give up easily. And we don’t let others define what our success looks like.

We walk away from our lesser situations that somehow we ended up in (or with) 😱, and we honor ourselves as the only ones we can control.

If we fall weak to a moment of feeling hopeless, we shake it off.

…we can use our stronger motivation to NOT GIVE UP.

For me, that’s looking for answers or doing research, both internal and external. They are proactive and that keeps the wheels going. 🛞

That always provides a new avenue.

It may not be the exact right one, but just by doing something positive, my mood shifts to better and I discover something new… ingredients in food at the grocery store or a new activity that stretches me.

So we commit to do whatever it takes to have our mind and bodies get with our better life program. That’s healthy stress we can challenge ourselves with! 💪

If our goal is to be 100% successful in our unique life however we define those areas, then finding out how we dodge our moods is going to be the game changer. That’s where Ayurveda for restoring moods can help.

…So often it’s not about the number of hours in the day. We all find enough hours to do what we’re excited, motivated or dedicated to.

It’s that we feel defeated in some way.

And if our moods are down, then we spend those hours on the couch binge-watching shows or procrastinating longer and longer.

It was never about the number of hours available.

How we communicate with ourselves (self-talk) and with others will set the tone for our lives.

And if we unknowingly encourage others to keep doing the same unwanted behaviors, then we’re setting ourselves up for more of the same frustration. Where are we unintentionally rewarding others for bad behavior we don’t want repeated?

O – Ourselves is where we can find hope.

Self-sabotage in some way is often where we get stuck.

…When we get out of our own way, then our moods lift.

Getting ourselves aligned to do and think the right and better things, set us up for success.

If your situations don’t look like what you thought you wanted, figure out what you need to do to get back on the path you got off of. What were you last doing when things changed?

…Maybe you’re a little burnt out. Striking a better balance between real life vs virtual digital world could be called for.

Also, be committed to consistency (showing up), and find daily inspiration to stay the course as part of the balance.

Dig deep for answers that are already inside you waiting to emerge if they can get past your moods. 🪷

Then, hope flowers bloom again.

And tapping into hope grows spirituality.

If you take whatever your initial mind-body serves up, you’ll fall for all the irritated triggers du jour.

But when you decide on your better ways despite the bendy course you fall in, then you stay faithful to what you know will be without losing your joy that helps your hope.

P – Prioritize quiet time to your life as life unfolds. What is your mind doing when it’s not going a gazillion miles a minute or sleeping?

There is something stressful in play or as an undercurrent running in your mind if you pay attention… it’s the theme of the week or season.

If you were to sit on a bench or yoga mat quietly and scan your thoughts as they come in, you can intercept the moods and find better answers to your life now.

Prioritizing a shift to your peace mode and letting things go lets the Universe work things out on your behalf.

Your problems mysteriously work themselves out.

But if you let your ego intercept, that boxes in your possibilities because you’ve taken aggressive action.

Your ego doesn’t want your success or peace.

The ego wants you safe from anything new or questionable.

It will trick your perceptions and even attach unfactual information so it can keep running your show.

There’s no hope in ego drama.

E – Ego-free living is the way back to hope.

Your ego will make its way back in without prompting and avoiding ego every time will produce your hopeful results that have a lasting chance.

In metro culture we’re not taught “to be”like a monk.

So finding a daily way to honor your ego without turning it on is a way to grow more aware.

When you do get quiet, you can hear nature outside or building equipment running inside. That’s when you can hear the silence of the ego.

You can observe thoughts.

And for romantics who watch the Hallmark channel, your ego calms because the movie ending is predictable. The girl ends up with the guy. But the plot circumstances are different and the drama in between is what’s going on as life is in play.

What usually makes the difference is that each character pauses or is confronted to take a look at their life and what’s important. And it always points to love.

Love is hope and the opposite of ego-living. And ego-free living helps grow our spirituality. 🧡

To your ego-free week! 😊

Joy Spiritual Meaning vs Daily Joy

Joy is used and experienced in many ways in life. And spiritual joy is one of life’s mysteries that doesn’t have to stay a secret to you, to help your life now.

Seeing a painted sky through a window can be a joyful experience that brings us closer to spiritual joy. 🌄

“Things and conditions can give you pleasure, but they cannot give you joy.” – Eckhart Tolle

But in our lives, most of the daily joy is not lasting as we get bored or the scenery changes, such as the season we’re in or a pretty sunset. 🌅

Daily joy is a common calm feeling we can have when we sip on a nice comfort tea… or get reminded of something that puts a smile on our face… or have a good outlook about the future days ahead.

I had one of these joyful days yesterday with a cinnamon chocolat-y flavored rooibos tea… that’s good anytime for Ayurvedic balance, and especially great in season and life transitions that’s life now and always for all of us. 🌿

I can always tell my daily balance state by my tea and spice desires.

Feeling calm is joyful. And feeling warm and fuzzy inside is where joy and happy feelings meet…

Joy is the new happiness.

Joy is used more often in trending media channels associated to describing general things in specific life seasons like: “I felt a sense of joy for…”

These descriptions are usually external triggers that are situation-based.

…Something in our surroundings prompted the joy.

These common joy ways are acceptable and often more surface fleeting feelings (if a deeper purpose or meaning context isn’t added).

“Joy” in daily word usage can often get tossed around like word salad and is not the same as the deeper joy that’s spiritual rooted, where the deeper meaning is often missed… and this article is about the spiritual joy you tap into.

But it’s good to know that daily joy can help you more easily get into spiritual joy.

It can be the primer or vehicle to get you there.

By contrast, someone or something at any moment can ruin your fleeting daily joy, peace, and pleasant feeling with a piece of sad or irritating news as quickly as the joyful feelings arrived.

“Stopping to smell the roses” 🌹is a good self-care practice that initiates or resets daily joy that’s good for calming and mental health.

…In a more relaxed headspace like out in calm nature, this can help prep you to look deeper for your spiritual joy that’s within and anywhere you go.

…Or you can miss the spiritual joy messages.

Spiritual joy is the kind of joy you don’t experience unless you’re intentional to tuning in.

The spiritual joy source is the higher world channel that’s inside you (spirit).

You can look up to the sky or Universe if you need a visual reminder.

Or it’s where you search inside you for ad hoc bright ideas and higher possibility inspiration. 🎨

In this spirit acknowledging realm, you are internally connected to the Universe.

You can do this in prayer, or just simple quiet acknowledgement that you are not alone.

With your spirit, you’re never alone because the spirit is another energy source inside you.

Acknowledgement helps you to unleash spiritual joy that gives a deeper satisfied feeling about understanding this Universe and that you matter to more than just the people you know.

It’s a higher way of thinking or a knowing like a gut instinct.

An example is when you feel goosebumps when seeing a solar eclipse in-person that has deeper profound meaning that makes us wonder about our existence, who we actually are inside, and why we’re here on earth.

It’s heartfelt, and we feel the outer ripple effect as sensations on the body and skin.

How to experience spiritual joy (or more of this deeper feeling):

Tap into your quiet spiritual inner being channel.

One way is you do mindful active listening for the quiet whispers inside you.

It’s not woo woo if you don’t make it about that as our lives zoomed out are big woo-woo miracles from the start 🎉🎉… and so you make your spirit about higher purpose living and your personal growth… while keeping level-headed and your feet on the ground for most your waking hours.

This can become your everyday healthy life as it is for me, as much as daily cooking and reaching out in community. 🌱

You can do this out walking in nature or sitting in a quiet spot indoors.

And to go back to your daily living, you shut out the spirit whispers that is subtle like daily wind.

You get back to your busy headspaces and to-do lists, listening to your thoughts and the noises of the external world… or simply get back to the work in front of you.

That’s the frequency most of us are on during our awake hours, unless we’re intentional to carve out time for something else higher.

If you’re in a loud restaurant or sports arena with friends, it’s unlikely you’ll hear your spiritual joy calling there.

But, spiritual joy can happen even if you’re not purposefully trying…

Maybe a wave of emotion strikes you in the air, or you blurt out impromptu somethings that feel right at the moment as the spirit inside you tries to help lead you to your better purposes in this life.

But at the time that happens, you don’t know why you did or acted out that way that was harmless, but curious to you.

Your spirit inside you knows better because it’s prophetic.

And you can be in ordinary circumstances like a concert or conference and a speaker that comes on discussing a topic or mission in the world that you’re aligned and passionate about that strikes your spiritual joy… or you meet The One (your person) at a grocery store and you feel instant chemistry without saying a word in the smoothie drink aisle.

The alive-in-you spirit can show up at any time without invitation to give you clues to help you.

This is the essence of the joy of the spirit.

There are also times when some people get spiritual awakenings for longer than moments or a day.

Those are not as common, but it’s the same spirit source creating spiritual joy.

Many wonder if they have a spirit inside them…

There’s a spirit in each of us that’s gentle and quiet if we listen.

To be clear, this is the same as the Holy Spirit living in us as defined by the Bible for Christians who understand what that means.

The Holy Spirit (or Spirit) is a heavenly being living daily and inside you ready to do life with you when you choose to invite this being into your life.

Believe me, a decade ago I didn’t know this.

…And like former-me, everyone is not aware of this spirit presence, but everyone still has a spirit inside them.

Depending on actions and how they choose to live their life, the spirit can be the good and effective influence in their life.

How you choose to live is your personal willpower choice.

You can purposefully invite in your good spirit.

It’s 24-7 operating inside you like a quiet and invisible angel… ready to help you (and other lives around you that you encounter) if you’re willing to be helped.

Helping includes suggesting with higher thoughts and sudden reminders, and guiding you to make the next best steps that you can choose to listen to (like a passing gut instinct), or ignore and listen to your louder thoughts.

Unlike people, our good spirits don’t hurt people. Only we or other people have the ability to do that as we have an ego in us.

The good spirit can’t create any harmful situations because it comes from the heavenly perfect good realm that isn’t earth bound.

It’s easier to explain this to anyone as the Universe looking out for you.

And now you know better how unleashing spiritual joy works inside you if you didn’t before.

This can be a part of your daily way when alone or finding quiet time.

You can give praise and gratitude for the daily favors and blessings you experience to re-center, get back to calm and daily joy, and remind yourself of the spirit in you.

With more favor comes joy (like the common happy-joy kind) because you deeper know you’re cared for.

You also naturally get better answers in life that are higher truths if you tune in regularly.

You’re less likely to make a wrong turn when you keep your steps close to tuning in consistently (and not taking a busy season off that can easily happen in our cultures).

This is where you gain wisdom and get better aligned perspectives.

You can get epiphany that it’s not about the things you do or acquire, but who you are and are becoming that matters most.

People, things, and situations are an integral part of our lives and they help move us along for our purpose discovery, and so we can help the world we’re in.

With the help of your spirit and developing more faith, you can trust the future and believe in what you don’t see in your life but believe all will work out for good (that fear and ego can shut out).

And if you’re new to spiritual joy and finding faith, one of the biggest challenges is tuning into the quiet frequency in a noisy world, and deliberately tapping into your spirit for answers vs. culture’s comments.

These ideas can be intriguing to a curious beginner (that was also once me)…

But like anything else new, it takes intention and practice.

The first habit step can be to set an intention or goal if that works better for you, to invite in your spirit in your life. A goal example could be you measure the number of days you do this.

You can achieve this in meditation, yoga, or in any quiet time.

Learning to relax and repress the mind’s loud ego thoughts also work to quiet the noise that internally competes and drowns out how the spirit softly communicates (that’s as different in us as each of us is).

Even if we’re listening to relaxing instrumental music, that can crowd out our spirit if we’re day dreaming on something else or focus-thinking about the music itself.

There’s a time and place for that if we’ve had a long day or just wanting to relax.

But remember, coming back at least once a day to your higher channel helps us in so many life aligning productive ways! 🌅

Without our spirit’s quietly working in us, our planet would be a hopeless, chaotic mess.

But our world is not this way… it’s organized under the hood with the help of our spirit working in us.

It’s not perfect or perfectly good and never will be, but there’s more quiet good than bad.

…Just look at all the productive and buzzing actions going on in nature daily. 🌱

And when you unleash your spirit outward (that’s the only one you’re responsible for), then you feel a sense of deeper joy and positive outlook living on this planet.

It’s life changing and life-giving as connection.

You’re never alone.

…And you’re fully loved.

And when you go out in the world doing your daily rounds and business, you can keep your head up and appreciate the kind people and the favor their spirits are greeting you with.

It’s a positive energy, and if we send our joyful spirit out, then that’s usually what we get back. And if we don’t get that, we still celebrate how we showed up.

With new insight about yourself and your spirit that’s with you always (and always has been even before you knew), you’re a better person.

You keep growing in ways you couldn’t have imagined before, and the way you started isn’t where you end up!

Finding out what that is, is everyone’s bread crumb journey. It’s a life adventure that’s exciting (and not boring).

Having lived both sides fully, starting out in my 20s thinking I had to make everything happen on my own and then evolving into relying on my spirit to guide me decades later, I would never go back to the old ways. 100% never.

With accumulated wisdom and new insights, comes purpose and meaning in a transformed life that optimizes the one life we live.

We get transformed inside and that brings joy and higher self-perspectives as veils are lifted. That’s the opposite of self-suffering that when you look back was survival existence.

You no longer have to deal with past self-hangups in phases of life created by former beliefs and perspectives.

You wisely let go and grow out of former patterns and Imposter Syndrome.

Your spirit of joy helps to grow and transform your healthy mindset, attitude, and insecurities. That’s something to celebrate. 🎂

I celebrate with food like a balanced delightful bowl. How do you celebrate?

Music Inspiration Daily For Slow Waiting Seasons

Music inspiration can be a saxophone that calms and is bright and cheery. — Music inspiration comes in all shapes and sizes!

Music inspiration can be therapy to your mind-body, like it is for mine. This article is all about building in some audio inspiration to your life, to get your mojo back or make it through your slow waiting seasons.

And a healthy oatmeal chocolate chip cookie 🍪 that can be prepared in 5 minutes (ready in 30) with 40 chocolate chips, a 4 oz. applesauce container (that is a good pantry stocking item to have on hand and you can buy in a 6-pack in the dried fruits and nuts grocery food aisle).

[Someone already took a bite out of this one 😊…]

healthy oatmeal chocolate chip cookie.

Because getting yourself daily happy is going to help you in tough seasons…

Where life can be unexciting and underwhelming and you wish would speed up and you could fast forward.

If you were to add up those days and years in your life, they would be most of life if you have lofty goals.

And they can feel heavy, like a hangover.

Those are the times when routines and ruts can run our lives. We can feel like we’re not growing as much because we’re not learning as much. Or we’re not running around feeling as light and bouncy.

And all that can show up as a mood funk and stress in the mind-body.

Bringing the calm and loving thoughts back in the moment helps bring our mind-body balance back despite life’s chaos.

We want to feel healthy good, and without this balance, we feel off and that slows down our productivity jam, creativity flow, and daily rhythm.

And, music inspiration is an easy way to snap our minds out of unrest, and gradually move us out of seasonal rut feelings day by day, and get our bodies to dance around a little.

I was feeling one of those weeks that felt imbalanced in moods.

There were storms outside that didn’t help to bring out the sunny feelings. And my body was off sleep schedule. I usually naturally wake up at the same time every morning within minutes.

Now I found myself setting the alarm again, that I hadn’t done as a routine since I worked for an employer.

Was it post-holiday blues?

That’s what I chalked it up to.

But I was determined to not let that settle into another day or the weekend.

So instead of my weekly routine, I did one easy test move. I turned on the television.

And this time of year is when ice skating competition shows are aired. I hadn’t seen one this year, so it took me into a new loop as I watched the triple toe loops manifest in front of my eyes. From the 20 minutes or so of watching, I had a new verve again.

I was inspired again. My mind had those happy hormones that felt like they kicked back into drive.

And all it took was a few minutes.

What just happened?

My mind went somewhere else. I saw something different, and it was exciting to my mind that drives the bus and matters most in changing moods.

And the subtle backdrop instrumental music put me in a new place mood.

Music is therapy and that’s why it’s called music therapy.

Changing our daily rhythm sounds is what we often need for simple imbalance changes based on our lifestyle choices (like food and drink, sleep patterns, etc.)… and doesn’t take that much effort to help change our moods.

You just turn it on and there it is.

And if you’re trying, that can be the slight switch you make in your day today that gives you a new pep in your step.

…as you’re counting on every new step that can turn your season around for change.

Finding the right daily music inspiration is an important part of having daily joy.

…Even if we woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Or we were rattled with sad news. Or we’re in a nothing new season… music will help snap us out into a better mood because the effect it has on the mind.

And if that’s what you’re facing today, then know you’re one baby step away from making a change in your day… if you choose the right tunes to help change the mood tide.

The right music for the mind aren’t the same yummy bubble gum music or jams we hear daily on our stations, but ones that have moody sounds like snares and percussion instruments…you know, those odd looking small instruments like fun triangles and xylophones you had or probably played with in an elementary school music class.

I’ll never forget a Music Appreciation course I took in college where “Black Magic Woman” was one oldie song we analyzed.

Whether you listen to the Santana or Fleetwood Mac versions, you’re gonna hear some drama from the music…

You’ll notice when there’s a dramatic movie scene about to come on, they play suspenseful music to rope you in to add to the effects.

And the effects go straight to your head where your mind is. So in that small instant, you’re put in a different mood.

And if you can create your own momentary drama with music inspiration and musical instruments, that may dramatically wake up your dull mind up if that’s what you need. It’s the healthy way without creating real life drama, if ya know what I mean 🎭

And here are a few artists and songs to turn on for daily inspiration:

Al Green

B.B. King (or any Blues music)

And a few modern songs:

Magic (Coldplay)

Latch (Disclosure with Sam Smith)

Or have a home Christmas concert in July or anytime of year.

Seasonal Music Inspiration

Then there are times when you feel uninspired in general over a season. That’s when yo find new music 🎶 to gain your pep in your step.

And realize that’s an opportunity to recognize the need to welcome in a Life transition. Something great is going to come in. It could be a fresh start over.

Instead of adopting a why me attitude, turn on the why not me? And the why not me is about being chosen for your life mission and great activities ahead.

So recognize that seasonal blaise is meant to be a bridge or a transition.

Those seasonal feelings can overlap with the daily need for doses of inspiration. But they are not the same.

With those seasonal feelings, I know in my life that means it’s time to shift in another direction or do something different. It’s the Universe giving a clue to look up and out, instead of simply looking at what was.

And that can be how you approach your seasonal moods!

In growth preparation, finding inspiration (that can start with music inspiration) can get the wheels turning in the new direction.

And if music isn’t enough…

While listening to nostalgic music or getting music therapy, take a break and look at those daily photos, sports coverage, skating… or whatever gives you that temporary joy that snaps you outta your funk.

Try to find more appreciation or contentment to help your way through.

Transitioning is our life’s theme.

And of course, life never tells you or gives you a road map of where to transition shift to (…that would be waaayy too easy!). But if you listen to your inner guides, you have a better chance to figure out the next best step.

So it’s not always as much work as it sounds and if you cooperate with yourself.

Because in those tough moments, you know (or can believe!) that where you are will produce something GREAT on the other side.

And that’s how you can better embrace challenges and changes.

A belief, that’s fully in your control, improves your outlook and attitude.

And when we re-adjust those to help us get through and grow, then we’ve set ourselves up to more smoothly enter a new season with our good intentions.

And when you look back out next time, you’ll be in a different place because the moment has passed.

So what are you waiting for… turn on some good tune vibes 🎶 and ask yourself: what are you inspired about today?

And while you’re needing a sweet break, you can enjoy a healthy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with exactly 40 chip morsels in case you need to give someone a small job. This is an easy recipe that you or your young ones can make.

heathy oatmeal chocolate chip cookie in one bowl

Simple Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

4 oz applesauce (easy grocery plastic container size)
2/3 cup oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp maple sugar, honey, or molasses
2 tbsp chocolate chips (or 40 chip morsels)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup almond milk or milk of choice

Instructions

Combine ingredients and pour onto baking pan forming a roundish shape.
Bake on 350°F for about 20-25 minutes until well baked.

Autumn Season Vata Optimization

Below I have some tips on how you can evolve and make the most of your Vata season with autumn mind-body balance tips.

We know we’ve hit a naturally changing season when daylight savings time hits and we fall back in time (and then give back an hour in spring forward).

But before these time clock changes, our healthy bodies naturally start to transition into the upcoming season. And our daily preferences change much sooner. Mostly because the stores and media around us have started their promotions on the first weekend before the new season starts.

And when we are ready, we get ourselves ready for a new season…

We change up our home candles, spices, and teas. And we opt for warm drinks over cold drinks. We also like burnt, spicier shades of browns, reds, and oranges compared to the bright whites and colors of summer.

We subtly shift from light caramel lattes to pumpkin spices. And we feel it in the sea air in the last days of summer.

And for Vata bodies (maybe that’s your dominant dosha), the mind-body can feel most balanced during the Vata season. And for any of us we want to lean into this season. And there are easy changes to help our Vata balance.

Vata Season – Surroundings Change

We lean into Vata season with a change in home décor that can cost nothing like bringing in pine cones or adding a splash of color inspired by the changing of the trees and leaves outside.

I like to pull out different cornucopia color coffee table books or magazines (…remember those?) that have the colors I’m looking for.

So it doesn’t have to cost much of anything except bringing out your creativity and the resources around you. That can help you get closer to your inner child when in those days that’s how everyday was when you wanted to do more.

And maybe that includes rearranging books and decor on bookshelves, and creating new table centerpieces. Some people like to change up their bedroom or wall colors too.

And maybe you have a second getaway place you call home like a cabin retreat, that can be very nourishing as you move away from the summer beachy vibes.

You can look at your new surroundings and inspiration, and feel warm and cozy inside, like you get from a crackling lit fireplace, but it’s still too warm outside for that!

5 Vata Season Body Shifts

1. Warm

In Vata season, we start preferring the warm drinks, but not the hot ones. We prefer warm drinks to start the day, and that gives our soul a small boost to enter the day with optimism.

In the shower, we may feel very relaxed with the therapeutic water pitter patter comfort of warmer water drops, but your skin could still be screaming for cooler jet streams because it’s still hot outside (and you’re part Pitta!).

2.Dry

Vata bodies also shift into their natural dry, wind-like features. Maybe your lips, lizard dry feet, or another part of your body feels the transitioning effects. Even though you may have felt the dry effects during the heated summer that’s another cause.

And Vata season, all around us we see proof as nature is withering into the season.

3. Tastes and smells

And we have certain flavors that we go to that give us seasonal joy. A good reminder for us is when we already know our preferences in food, tea, drinks, and spices. Because we can reach for those with little extra decision effort and maybe they’re on hand already.

But for a Vata who prefers variety and the preferences change daily, cinnamon and ginger does not. And those are good to lean into during Vata season.

Also, orange scented candles as in orange fruits, but could be orange color too. There are so many options in candles these days that I have to specify. 😊 Because pure orange citrus calms the nerves and that helps with Vatas who are feeling naturally anxious in their body when triggered, unlike Pittas and Kaphas who don’t understand.

4. Colors

The changing fall leaves help to inspire fall colors. Out in California where I have family and friends, to me it never feels like fall because the lack of deciduous trees with shedding leaves.

And I always feel “off” like something inside is missing even if I’m only there for a short visit and seeing the lovely evergreen palm trees and coastal vibes.

And my body calls for the changing landscapes of parks and cooler temperature vineyards.

5. Activities

Fall is a great transitional period to start a physical routine again like hiking, pickleball, or YOGA. That’s my favorite.

I’m back in classes and I’m gonna share with you my lessons old and new in the coming few weeks! It’s an anniversary for me as I started going to Hatha yoga classes regularly in the Vata season after I had my Ayurvedic epiphany. 🧘🏻‍♀️

And even if you’ve just left the happy-go-lucky and vacation summer days, and headed back to busy fall, find time to get your alone time in yoga or meditation wherever suits you best.

That will help you ease into the season, and ground and round out the rest of the year. And gear up for holiday time and a new year that’s getting closer.

And finally…

Get An Vata Season Empowered Reset

The change in season gives us a reason to reset.

We don’t really need a reason because every day is a new start, but a new season like Vata season is a good reminder.

So we can a start new project, have new goals, and a way to remember the same season last year.

Our body cells don’t forget. I learned this experientially in a yoga class when years ago I took a break and my muscles remembered.

And you can consciously activate your brain cells by going down memory lane.

What were you doing this same time last year? I’m sure there are areas that were 180 degrees in another direction when you check.

Maybe you moved or something in your work or relationship changed. You’ve made great strides, so you should pat yourself on the back for all your soft and recognized accomplishments.

You empower yourself with healthy thoughts.

Photos, journal entries, and other personal external things can conjure up happy memories and thoughts that bring nostalgia and joy as you go through the transition of the season.

Make some new routines. Maybe some end-of-year goals. Now is a good time so you can make impact on this year’s progress. Just a thought. 💭