A 40-day how to guide
for finding and maintaining joy, meaning and connection in your daily life
Do you ever struggle to find and maintain your sense of joy, connection and meaning in everyday life?
As a healthcare chaplain for the past 13 years, I have met many people struggling to find ways of coping with stress and the difficult events in life.
In healthcare, people are often in crisis situations during periods of extreme stress, anxiety and/or grief. A new diagnosis, unexpected accident or illness, or the death of a loved one can bring up many difficult feelings, as well as existential concerns such as regrets, misaligned priorities, or questioning “What is the meaning of my life?”
Chances are, you have difficulty engaging in the life-giving practices that help us access joy, meaning and connection every day or most days. We get busy, overwhelmed with stress, and we end up dealing with what’s in front of us without paying attention to the life we are creating for ourselves and those around us. As a result, life may feel empty, dull or void of meaning.
I truly believe that anyone can experience joy, meaning and connection, no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in.
It’s time to live a life that is full of joy, meaning and connection. I’ll teach you how, through the use of consistent, intentional practices everyday.
Over the course of my chaplaincy career, I have gathered personal meaningful practices and tools for helping the people I serve live a fuller life.
I first started offering mindfulness practices such as guided meditation with hospice patients who were struggling to breathe, or experiencing physical and emotional pain. I realized that many people benefitted from a few moments of practice during a very difficult time. I also learned that, when people were able to cultivate meaningful practices on a daily basis, their ability to cope with difficult events was greatly increased.
A couple of years ago, I taught a weekly mindfulness course to an outpatient intensive therapy group for people recovering from substance abuse. I knew the principles and practices we were discussing were helpful, but I also knew it would be difficult for them (and me) to remember to practice the principles everyday. So I designed a mnemonic device around the idea of associating a day of the week with one particular principle or practice for the day.
I have built on and expanded this daily theme into a 40-day guided program to help us rediscover or develop new practices for living a fuller life. I would love to have you join me in this journey!
- A daily guide to the theme of the day
- Reflection prompts
- Practice guides
- Guided meditations and prayers
- Discussion, support and accountability with a practice group