Singing Our Praises

Dealing with self-doubt, feeling emotionally depleted, lacking self-compassion,....those feelings can squash anyone's feeling of JOY. How do you feel joy within? One way is to show it to others. You may not be feeling it yourself right now, but a guaranteed lift to motivate you to keep being future focused as you work on your inner joy is by showing it to others. Offering genuine attention to somebody is a powerful gift. In my mental health career, working with so many battered and broken parents and their children, months, sometimes years would go by working alongside them and then suddenly I would hear a parent or a teenager say to me, "thank you for your support". That would carry me to the moon and back for months. Singing someone's praises lifts spirits, opens doors to a new level of conversation and engagement and strengthens the human connection. What does it cost? Absolutely nothing. What are the rules you ask? Be spontaneous - don't overthink and feel you need to wait for the right moment. If you feel it, do it. Be observant - paying attention is critical. Tailor your compliment toward who you know and experience the person to be. Make it personal to fit them. Be specific - Name what it is that you are complimenting in order to ensure you are speaking from a personal, genuine and thoughtful emotional place. Be sincere - your compliment needs to be genuine and heartfelt (we all know what flattery feels like and this isn't that). You will be pleasantly surprised to see that simple yet meaningful words are much more rewarding than you may think. For you and them! Start your day today complimenting someone applying the rules above (and an extra brownie point if you approach someone outside your family/friend comfort zone like your doorman, the Barista at your favorite coffee joint or the checkout person at your grocery store!). I'd love to hear what your experience is, email me below to share:  drjoanne@joanneroyerphd.com Now go out there and make it a great day for yourself ~