December Light-Heartedness Newsletter "Creating Light-Hearted Holidays" "Light-Heartedness is a state of mind where you feel love, joy, peace and laughter as the norm in your everyday life."   — Kari Joys MS

Contact Kari E-mail: kari@kari-joys.com Phone: 509-534-7374 Buy the book: Choosing Light-Heartedness! Discover Kari's many valuable tools and insights for transforming your life. Order Choosing Light-Heartedness online. Learn short activities and simple psychological tools to transform depression into joy, anxiety into inner peace, and poor self-esteem into radiant self-love. Kari has compiled the knowledge from her twenty-five years psychotherapy practice into her easy-to-follow book. "Choosing Light-Heartedness" will greatly speed up your emotional healing process. • Understand the real issues behind your depression, anxiety and poor self-esteem • Release unfinished baggage from the past through Emotional Healing • Learn to love and appreciate yourself in new and wonderful ways • Learn tools for communicating your feelings with love and respect • Read touching stories of people like you who overcame the past and are now living happy fulfilling lives • Discover ways to incorporate your own spirituality into your emotional healing journey Receive FREE Light-Heartedness E-Letters today! Learn ways to bring more Joy and Light-Heartedness into your life: Sign up for Kari's FREE Light-Heartedness e-letters. Develop a healthy, light-hearted approach to everyday living! • Use powerful affirmations to reprogram your thinking • Practice simple, experiential exercises to create healthy life patterns • Develop a healthy Light-Hearted approach to everyday living • Laugh regularly and have more fun in your life Take Kari's Journey to Light-Heartedness E-Course! Do you want the most powerful tools Kari can provide online? Go deeper into your healing process with the Journey to Light-Heartedness E-Course. Go deeper with your commitment to Light-Heartedness with Kari's direct guidance! Experience enlightening sessions with Kari in the comfort and safety or your own home. You'll receive 10 beautiful flash movies and 18 powerful guided visualizations that will greatly speed up the healing process! • Go deeper with your emotional healing journey • Forgive and release the people who hurt you in the past • Release your depression and anxiety, one day at a time • Reprogram your unconscious mind • Develop deep, loving relationships • Create abundance in all areas of your life • Find your natural humor and your playful light-heartedness • Let your true spirit shine in the world Read Kari's Articles Online! Read some of Kari's articles that are available right now online. • 7 Tools for Staying Light-Hearted in Challenging Times • 8 Tips for Light-Heartedness during Dysfunctional Family Gatherings • Heal Emotions with Light-Heartedness: Achieve Long-Term Benefits through Emotional Healing • Feelings: How to Help the Man You Love Learn to Express His Feelings! Come to a Light-Heartedness Workshop! Work with Kari Joys in person at a Light-Heartedness Workshop. Be ready to have your life transformed! In a safe, supportive and beautiful environment, you'll have the opportunity to turn your life around! • Heal and release your 'pain body' • Learn to release anxiety and depression • Empower yourself • Enjoy the present • Laugh from the inside out Receive Private Counseling from Kari Joys Learn more about private counseling with Kari. Clear past baggage and transform your life! Kari is a dynamic catalyst for healing. You'll receive kindness, compassion and understanding while you face the truth of your life and make changes to live the life of your dreams. See Kari Joys Website For more on Kari Joys book, services, articles, e-letters, and e-course, see her website. Sign Up for Newsletter If you're not already a subscriber, go to Kari Joys website to sign up for the newsletter. Or send your name and e-mail address to: kari@kari-joys.com Holiday Humor According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, while both male and female reindeer grow antlers in the summer each year, male reindeer drop their antlers at the beginning of winter, usually late November to mid-December. Female reindeer retain their antlers 'til after they give birth in the spring. Therefore, according to every historical rendition depicting Santa's reindeer, every single one of them, from Rudolph to Blitzen, had to be a female. We should have known! Only females would be able to drag a fat man in a red velvet suit all around the world in one night and not get lost! Which of Santa's reindeers needs to mind his manners the most? Rude-olph. What reindeer has the cleanest antlers? Comet. Where do Santa's reindeers like to stop for lunch? Deery Queen. What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire? Frostbite. What do you call Santa's helpers? Subordinate Clauses. What kind of bird can write? A pen-guin. What do you get if you cross Santa with a detective? Santa Clues! What did Adam say on the day before Christmas? It's Christmas, Eve. Why does Santa Claus like to work in the garden? Because he likes to hoe, hoe, hoe! What happened when the snow-woman got angry at the snow-man? She gave him the cold shoulder. What did the big candle say to the little candle? I'm going out tonight. What do you call an Eskimo cow? An Eskimoo. Why does Santa Claus go down the chimney on Christmas Eve? Because it soots him. What kind of ball doesn't bounce? A snowball! What's the best thing to put into Christmas pie? Your teeth! What do you get when you eat the Christmas decorations? Tinsel-itus. Why does Scrooge love Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer? Because every buck is dear to him. If athletes get athletes foot, what do astronauts get? Missletoe! How does Santa take pictures? With his North Pole-aroid. What do snowmen wear on their heads? Ice caps. How do sheep say Merry Christmas in Mexico? Fleece Navidad! What is a snowman's favorite lunch? An Iceberger! What did the Gingerbread Man put on his bed? A cookie sheet! When is a boat like a pile of snow? When it's adrift. How do snowmen get around? On their icicles. What do you call a cat on the beach at Christmastime? Sandy Claws! Why are Christmas trees such bad knitters? They are always dropping their needles. What do lions sing at Christmas? Jungle bells! What do the elves sing to Santa Claus on his birthday? Freeze a jolly good fellow! Welcome! It's a busy time here in the Northwest USA! Winter weather has definitely arrived and everyone is rushing around getting ready for the holidays. The stores are having their holiday sales and everyone is buzzing around trying to find the perfect gift for that difficult person on their list. Yes, holiday stress is everywhere right now. We're stressed about the holiday dinners. We're wondering what food to serve and who we can expect to be there? Can we handle the family drama that often shows up at holiday time? To top it all, we have the world economic crisis to add to our normal holiday pressures. We're scared we may not have enough money to pay for everything we need. Some of us have lost our jobs and some are being forced to move out of homes that we love. Is it any wonder that we are stressed and overwhelmed? So maybe you're wondering, "Is it really possible to be light-hearted with everything that's going on around us?" The answer is "Yes! It's important to face the reality in your life, but it's a great time to practice light-heartedness!" To assist you in dealing with your holiday stress, I've put together some articles I hope you will enjoy. They include: • Seven Tips for Managing Holiday Stress • Lonely at Holiday Time • Making Your New Year's Resolutions Actually    Work • Readers Contribute • Holiday Humor Kari Joys MS offers tools for transforming challenging emotional issues into joy, peace and light-heartedness. She provides counseling and psychotherapy in Spokane, Washington for anxiety, depression, self-esteem, abuse or dysfunctional family issues, and for couples, marriage or divorce issues. Kari offers books, workshops and FREE Light-Heartedness E-Letters nationwide! Kari Joys MS is the director of the Center for Creative Change. She is a compassionate author, a highly recognized psychotherapist, a skilled group facilitator and a powerful energy therapist. Through her psychotherapy and her intensive personal growth workshops, Kari has guided thousands of people through the incredible emotional healing journey that opens the door to fulfilling one's highest spiritual purpose. Seven Tips for Managing Holiday Stress Holidays can be very stressful! There are so many things to get done, so much pressure and so many expectations. Often we forget to take care of ourselves in the process and that's when the stress becomes overwhelming. Here are some tips to keep you emotionally balanced during the holidays: 1. Breathe deeply throughout the day. Breathing helps you stay in the moment and release any stress that's accumulated. 2. Stay in touch with what you are feeling and cry when you need to cry. Remember that no one is to blame for your feelings; crying just helps you release anything that is painful. 3. Use positive self-talk to counteract anxiety and stress, for example, you could say, "This doesn't have to be perfect -- it's the love that matters!" 4. Ask a friend to share a listening half hour with you. One of you listens while the other talks for 15 minutes each; and the listener says only "Thank-you for sharing." By doing this, you will both feel more loved and supported. (Remember not to give unasked-for advice.) 5. Take time to go for a walk in nature. While you're walking, say positive affirmations to yourself or focus on what you are thankful for in your life. 6. Make a list of what needs to be done and cross things off your list when they're completed. Congratulate yourself for everything that gets done, even if it doesn't go the way you planned! 7. Keep your sense of humor. When things don't work out perfectly, look at the funny side of it all! Ask yourself, in ten years when you look back, what will you be laughing about? Holiday Humor Q. What did the reindeer say before launching into his comedy routine? A. This will sleigh you. Lonely at Holiday Time Although we think of the holidays as family times, not all of us are fortunate enough to have a loving family or supportive friends around during this special time. Some have recently lost loved ones through death or divorce or some may have moved to a new area and not had time to make new friends. Perhaps the loneliest of all are those who suffer the pains of growing up in a dysfunctional family. Maybe you never learned how to give and receive love or how to create loving, supportive relationships in your life. When you grew up never experiencing love and support and you don't know what's wrong, it can be painful to look around and see all the happy families who seem to be so happy, loving and supporting each other. If you're wondering what you can do to turn things around and make the holidays a pleasant, joyful experience, here are... Ten Tips for Creating Light-Hearted Holidays 1. Decorate your house just the way you like it and play your favorite holiday music. Sometimes simple, natural things have more meaning to you than extravagant displays. 2. Send holiday cards or call your friends from the past who've been loving and supportive to you and tell them what you appreciate about them. 3. Buy a special gift for yourself, however small it may be, just to let your inner child know that you are loved, special and important. 4. Find a church that you feel comfortable with and go to their special holiday services. 5. Look for other people who don't have family or friends around and plan a potluck dinner or a holiday activity with them. When each person brings a dish or a game to share, it becomes a fun celebration for everyone. 6. Volunteer through community organizations to help other people who are going through challenging times. 7. Make a creative gift with your own hands to give to someone who's been kind to you recently. Be sure to tell them what you appreciate about them. 8. Take a drive at night to see the beautiful holiday lights in your neighborhood. 9. Invite a new friend, serve hot chocolate and popcorn, and watch funny holiday movies together. 10. Sign up for my FREE Light-Heartedness E-mail Series or take the Journey to Light-Heartedness E-Course so that next year's holiday season will be even more fun and light-hearted than this one! Holiday Humor Q. What do you call the fear of getting stuck in a chimney? A. Santaclaustrophobia Making Your New Year's Resolutions Actually Work Our 2009 New Year is just around the corner! Many of you are excited about starting fresh and turning your life around in 2009. That's fantastic! I know that 2009 is going to be an exciting year. Have you made your New Year's Resolutions? Are you clear about what you would like to see change in your life in 2009? Good! You're on the right track. You know what you'd like to accomplish and where you want your life to go. Why New Year's Resolutions Don't Work Would you like to know why New Year's resolutions don't work? Great! It's because they are based on sheer willpower. "If willpower worked in and of itself, we'd all be slim, rich and famous!" The problem with willpower is that it operates only in the conscious mind and in too many cases our conscious minds are in conflict with our unconscious minds. Remember that your conscious mind is the adult part of you that functions in your every day life. It helps you do the laundry, pay the bills and get to work on time. Your unconscious mind, on the other hand, is where you store all of your unresolved emotions from the past. Whatever you have not dealt with in your life emotionally is locked up in your unconscious mind, waiting for another opportunity to be healed. New Year's Resolutions and Your Unconscious Mind When you decide with your conscious mind that you want to change your life and become more happy and successful, often your unconscious mind will go into resistance. If you haven't dealt with your deep emotions, your unconscious mind may become like a rebellious child that says, "Until you give me what I want, I'm not going to give you what you want!" Have you ever experienced that? So the bad news is that New Year's resolutions don't work, but the good news is that you absolutely can turn your life around this year by being willing to do some emotional healing. There is definitely a way to accomplish your New Year's resolutions; it just might take a little longer than you planned. Would you like to know how to make 2009 the best year of your life? Fantastic! If you want 2009 to be the best year of your life, there are three qualities you will need to nurture in yourself. These very important qualities will make the difference between you being successful with your New Year's Resolutions or giving up before you get there. Are you interested in learning more? Great! Click here to read more on-line! Readers Contribute Here's a Book Review from one of our readers: Hi Kari, I grew up in a very dysfunctional household. I remember never feeling safe or like I could trust anyone. I was made to feel that I could never do anything well enough. There was much anger from my step-father. He told me that I looked too much like my real father! Growing up, I took on many of the negative patterns that I was taught in my childhood. In a sense, I had taken on the very traits that had caused me some much pain. Life became a series of painful and guilt-ridden episodes that I felt I had no control over. My fear was nearly overwhelming. Luckily, as an adult, I was guided to a very important book called "A Course in Miracles." This book changed my life because it opened my heart and mind to spiritual healing. In order to be free of my emotional pain, I began the difficult, but necessary process of forgiving everyone in my life, including myself. I also began to understand that my thoughts create my experience. I learned to change my thoughts from negative ones to positive ones. Because I want be happy, I chose to concentrate on only the good in myself and in others. "A Course in Miracles" teaches how to overcome the trap of living from your ego. The ego is devious--if you're not vigilant of the thoughts going through you mind, you may find yourself remembering things from the past that you feel guilty about. You may be judging someone, or worrying about the future, or thinking any number of negative thoughts. When you become aware of these types of thoughts, you should immediately turn them around. You can bless the person that you were judging, give your guilt over the past to the Holy Spirit and forgive yourself, and give the future to God to lead you in all things. Ego thoughts drain your energy, they cause illness in your body, and they cause you to lose the connection to your spirit or True Self. When you lose that connection, you begin to get lost in the ego. When that happens, you often feel angry, depressed, tired, and fearful. The good news is that all of these feelings can change by simply remembering that these thoughts are of the ego, which isn't real. When you turn your thoughts over to the One who is your Comforter, you can be free to feel the Love that is your inheritance as a Child of God. I just wanted to share with you and the Light-Heartedness Newsletter Readers that with studying "A Course of Miracles" and with God's help, my life has changed dramatically. Now I can look forward to the holidays as a time to celebrate the love of family and friends. Thank God I'm free of the past! Love, Ricki Hi Ricki, Thanks so much for sharing your experience! I greatly appreciate it! Even though I haven't done the 365-day "Course of Miracles" process myself, I do know that it's been very helpful to many people. I've read a lot of wonderful books that were written about the teachings of "The Course of Miracles," including Marianne Williamson's bestselling book "A Return to Love," which I dearly loved! I definitely recommend "The Course of Miracles" process to anyone who feels drawn to it! Much love to you, Kari We'd love to hear back from you! Your heart-felt stories will help others who are going through challenges in their lives to have the strength and courage to hang in there when the going is tough. Please send your response to kari@kari-joys.com. • Did anything in this newsletter inspire you to make changes in your life? Please share what happened when you put this into practice. • Please share with us any stories you have about overcoming your dysfunctional family issues in a light-hearted way. • Tell us about the most important book you've read that helped you overcome depression, anxiety, poor self esteem, relationship issues or dysfunctional family issues. • Please tell us any interesting experiences you had working with Kari Joys either in private counseling, or with her book, her e-course or her light-heartedness workshops. Kari Joys Spokane, Washington Phone: 509-534-7374 Email: kari@kari-joys.com

December Light-Heartedness Newsletter "Creating Light-Hearted Holidays" This newsletter designed by Good Cause Marketing

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