When you close your heart to fear, you close it out to Joy.

“When things get hard emotionally, you disconnect from your body.”
 
That’s what one of my energy healers told me last year.
 
I wish I could tell you that her words were an instant game changer. That I stopped turning my pantry into a revolving door or wearing my badge of busy-ness when things felt hard. 
 
Instead, my old habits of disconnecting from myself and not listening to my body stayed cemented into the patterns of my life. So much so that in a haste to put something away a few weeks ago, I fell from the top of my kitchen counter.
 
And then a week later, this happened…

A very ouchy encounter with the street outside my house.
 
Like so many times, I was racing out the door late, because I needed to do just “one more thing.”
 
Instead of gracefully hopping on my bicycle to go meet my husband, I ran out of the house helter-skelter style.
 
And 30 seconds later found myself sitting on the pavement looking at my bleeding hands and ripped yoga pants wondering what had just happened.
 
A few hours after my bike crash, I texted a picture of my hands to a good friend who pointed out what I hadn’t noticed. The scrape on each of my palms was in the shape of a heart.
 

My heart boo boos were a message from the Universe…

Numbing out through distraction was no longer okay.

 If I wasn’t going to stop disconnecting from my body when things felt hard, then the Universe was going to help me reconnect, quite literally, to the present moment.
 
Because here’s the deal….
 
When we close our heart to fear, we also close our heart to joy. We miss the delightful moments that are all around us.
 
But…
 
There’s something that can help us open our hearts to love, so we can become present to the everyday joys around us.
 
OUR HOMES.
 
Our homes are a mirror of our lives. When we shift the energy of one, we shift the energy of the other. It’s quite magical!
 
So…

IF YOU TOO CATCH YOURSELF DISCONNECTING AND CLOSING YOUR HEART, HERE ARE 5 QUICK THINGS THAT WILL CONNECT YOU TO YOUR HOME AND BRING MORE JOY TO YOUR LIFE. 
 

1. Light a candle.
   Candles are an instant way to infuse your space with peace and love. For the healthiest mood changer, look for candles made of soy or beeswax with a 100% cotton or wood wick.
    
2. Play music.
   Music is probably the biggest go-to tool to generate good vibes, but did you know it can shift your home’s energy even if you’re not there? Create a playlist of your favorite tunes and put them on repeat!
    
3. Add some flowers.
   Who doesn’t love flowers? They instantly brighten any space.
    
4. Use your grandmother’s china.
   You loved her. You love the intricacy of the pattern. And yet, it sits in boxes in the attic. Go get it. Use it at your next dinner. You might surprise yourself at how much delight it brings you. The same goes for those old, framed family photos or the painting you once bought at auction. If something could bring you joy, put it to use instead of letting it collect dust.
    
5. Clean your windows.
   Your windows are the eyes of your home. Dirty windows are like wearing dirty glasses. If you can’t see through them, you’re blind to your surroundings. Clean them up and get your clarity back.

Here’s to finding joy in the present moment,
xoxo
Dorena