Do you have a personal barometer that gives you a sign when you’re off kilter? If yes, are you able to call on it in time to actually affect a change in your behavior? So, you ask, what do you mean, Angie? Let me explain. For years, in times of extreme stress or unhappiness, my personal barometers have been working perfectly. I just wasn’t paying attention. I often didn’t notice until the difficult time had passed. Now, I’m quite a bit more mindful and if I pay attention, I can catch myself and affect a change before I go down a negative path. Ok, Ok, I know. What in the world am I talking about?

My personal joy barometers are music and nature. When I’m extremely stressed and unhappy, two things happen.

1) The radio in the car, the stereo at home and my ipod start to bug me. I can’t seem to find any music that seems to fit me. It all sounds like noise and all gets on my last nerve. I stop listening to music. Seriously. In the car, I catch myself turning off the radio/CD player because the music is like nails on a chalkboard.

2) I stop enjoying nature. This manifests itself in me not being able to really see colors outdoors. I don’t mean to infer that I’m color blind because I’m not. I still observe that the leaves on trees are green but I actually don’t absorb that there is any color at all. How do I know this? I often don’t until it’s over and then everything seems super bright and super awesome. If I do get lucky enough to notice it, it’s sort of like I’m looking at the world through dirty, smudged eyeglasses and I have to remind myself to snap out of it.

So, can you identify your own Joy Barometers and do you know what to do when they notify you of impending danger? Getting in touch with them could be the best thing you’ve done for yourself in awhile.

Susan Falter Barns, has great workshop on Joy. Check her out at www.howmuchjoy.com.  If you don’t know your own joy barometers, perhaps she can help you find them.