Rekindling Joy: A Guided Meditation

This guided meditation is intended to help you connect to deep joy that you may be missing, because you may have been in a state of languishing. Languishing means "to suffer from being forced to remain in an unpleasant situation." Some say this has been a dominant emotion in the past year. After all that we have been through, languishing may feel like you're looking at life through a foggy lens.

Maybe you lack motivation, or have a hard time with focus. 2020 and 2021 have been unprecedented times for people, with so much change to our daily norms that we've experienced prolonged distress. Maybe you find yourself struggling with a block, feeling you lack excitement, you cannot connect to people like you used to, or you miss your joy. In this guided meditation, we will build a defense against the languishing by guiding our thoughts toward celebration.

This celebration will focus on things we can acknowledge and recognize in our life that we can cling to and experience joy. In these moments, we will walk away from languishing and walk toward flourishing to rekindle joy.

Episode Transcript

Unknown (00:00):
candling joy. This guided meditation is intended to

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help you connect to deep joythat you may be missing. Because
you have been in a state oflanguishing, languishing means
to suffer from being forced toremain in an unpleasant
situation. Some say this is adominant emotion in 2021. After
all that we have been throughlanguishing may feel like you're
looking at life through a foggylens. Maybe you lack motivation

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or have a hard time with focus.
2020 and 2021 have beenunprecedented times for people
with so much change to our dailynorms that we've experienced
prolonged distress. Maybe youfind yourself struggling with a
block feeling you lackexcitement, you cannot connect
to people like you used to youmiss your joy. In this guided
meditation, we will build adefense against the languishing

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by guiding our thoughts towardcelebration. This celebration
will focus on things we canacknowledge and recognize in our
life that we can cling to andexperience joy. In these
moments, we will walk away fromlanguishing and walk toward
flourishing to kindle joy. Nowclose your eyes sent to yourself
by taking several deep breathsnow, take inventory of the

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tension in your body relax yourtoes, your legs, your stomach,
your chest, your back. Let go oftensions in your neck. Your

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arms. Now relax your mouth, yourcheeks, your eyes. Focus on your
breath. Once again, take a fewdeep breaths

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right now, let's celebrate beingin this moment. You are doing
something good for yourself. Andas a result, it will do good for
those around you. Especiallythose closest to you
we have labeled languishing andnow let's recognize how it may

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be affecting you make a decisionnow to leave the feeling behind
and when it comes back to youcome back to the meditation
again. Let's journey through aseries of celebrations. We will
begin by celebrating theabilities that you have. The

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breath you breathe for some thegift of still being alive the
loved ones in your life, the joyit brings you to be loved and to
lovethe passions you have go through
them in your mind. When is thelast time you leaned into your

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passions. The relationships thatmake you happy
the survival story you cherishthe pet that loves you endlessly

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the job you did not lose the jobyou have
the job you love the miracle youhave witnessed the incredible

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qualities you have the dreamsyou have that have come true and
the ones you still dream aboutthe moments you cherish deeply
the hope you are clinging to thefaith that grounds you the peace

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that you have experienced thenature around you the challenges
you have conquered The person orpeople you have helped take

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several deep breaths now I wantyou to imagine the sound of
laughter let the sound linger inyour mind a moment

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listen closely, picture a smileof your own face that you did
not force, a smile that rose upnaturally because you thought of
someone you love.
Begin to picture the people youcherish all smiling, then
laughing You may think of aparticular memory, but try to

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create this picture as a newmemory. Everyone is smiling,
laughing, experiencing joyimagine ways to see this picture
come through set an intentionfor the future to create this

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opportunity. Make a plan fortoday to bring your thoughts
back to this smile. Thislaughter This feeling of
flourishing and kindling joy.
Now take a few more deep breathsand thank God for all that you
have to celebrate in this lifeand go ahead and wiggle your

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toes and your fingers, open youreyes and engage the present
moment.