How do you find joy in the every day?

hey there!

I want to start by telling you that what you were feeling is not uncommon and that to be honest with you, I feel like a lot of people struggle with the same thing. It's not easy to sometimes be content and or satisfied with where we are right now in our lives. We all want that "ideal" life that is sold on television, social media, and maybe even we see from some of our close friends and family, but in reality no one's life is perfect.

I love that you used the word "present" because the way we deal with the feelings you were having is through using mindfulness techniques and exercises. There are several strategies that you can use to help with this, from breathing to meditation to simply counting things around you. I would even and especially encourage you to look up Andy Puddycomb on YouTube and listen to some of his talks. He's one of the best mindfulness gurus that I know of. Another clip you can take a look at is "what you practice grows stronger." That one is a Ted talk also and discusses how it only takes a few moments a day to practice mindfulness.

Now let's get into the nitty-gritty of what mindfulness is: the practice of being present in the very moment in which we sit. Being able to focus on only one thoughts or emotion at a time so that we aren't overwhelmed by all of them happening all at once. And it does indeed take regular, ongoing practice for this to be successful and to see a difference in our lives. One of my favorite ways to do this is by taking a deep breath, and then using 5–4 –3 – 2–1.  You take a moment to notice five things you can see, for things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. Even if you can't get all of those out of the moment you were at least focusing on one sense at a time and it slows your mind down to focus only on that. You may also start some breathing exercises with a simple square breathing technique, breathing in for four, holding for four, out for four, and hold for four. Well it sounds simple if we are focused only on our breath we are also not allowing those outside factors to penetrate our peace.

In using those techniques I think it's also important to incorporate gratitude and recognition that well we are not where we want to be at the end, where we are is not a bad place to be. It's important to give yourself credit for the things that you have done and accomplished, and recognized that this period of our life is not permanent if we are willing to work on it. 

I hope that this has helped, and I wish you all of the very best! I know you've got this!