Is it time for a joy snack?

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Joy snacks, anyone? They’re absolutely free!

Free?

Yes, free. You’re the manufacturer of said snacks. How’s that for convenient?

Ok, ok, what the heck is a joy snack?  You’d think I’d already know since I appear to be the designated personal manufacturer of these so-called “joy snacks.” And speaking of snacks, we’re currently in the midst of the Holiday Season and too many gustatory temptations are already calling my name. Do I really need joy snacks?

Yes.

An explanation, then, would certainly be welcome.

Always glad to hold forth!  But wait, I need to begin with a serving of honesty. ‘Tis the Holiday Season, yes, but a time that may also be fraught with stressors. Ummm, is this TOO much honesty?

No. So much healthier, emotionally, to share these stressors in the light, rather than hide them away. Bittersweet, perhaps, but oh-so human.

So, yes, returning to Holiday stressors….They’re most often captured in the cultural context of ‘shoulds.’ Here’s a (really short) listing of descriptors that can help us understand the nature of cultural “shoulds’ that land, especially during the Holiday Season. Have (to), ought (to), need (to), and must. Wow, what a litany of “shoulds!” (Followed by my expressed, “Ouch!”)

The Holiday Season can be an exquisite mixture of love, light, and yes, poignant shoulds. However, it’s in this challenging space that joy snacks can nurture our spirits.

“No matter who you are, no matter where you are in life, there's something out there that can bring you joy and happiness” so sayeth Joshua Hicks PhD.

And that something can be small bites of joy in our daily lives. Simple, mundane, experiences that bring us (and others) a conscious tidbit of joy. Most importantly, don’t let those joy snacks sneak by! Notice and indulge in them. Bathe in them! Drink ‘em up (unless, of course, they’re alcoholic.) Our acts of noticing and indulging in mini-joy snacks amplify their joyful impacts in our lives. (Just love that word “amplify!” Don’t you?)

Oh, did I leave out what constitutes a joy snack? They run the gamut. First sip of coffee; complimenting the food co-op cashier on her new hair style; telling a store manager how much I love hearing his deep belly laugh when I’m shopping there; throwing an apple core into the backyard and watching a chubby grey squirrel nose-dive for it (and I think the critter may have even given me a thumbs up!) Didn’t I say joy snacks run the gamut?

Calling all you manufacturers of joy snacks (during the holidays or whenever) - create, notice, and indulge, with gusto, in your snacking episodes. You are their spark. You can open the door to their occurrence. If you ‘re experiencing bittersweet seasonal feelings, joy snacking goes a long way toward opening us to more light, always a welcome commodity this time of year.