Remember the Charlie Brown Christmas show? Remember how everyone was in the Christmas spirit except Charlie? Charlie was feeling jaded. He went to Lucy for advice on how to snap out of it. Lucy told him he needed involvement and invited him to manage the Christmas play.
Lucy’s advice was brilliant.
When we’re feeling apathetic, overworked, full, or cynical from being let down over and over or seeing something too often, it becomes not exciting anymore. And we get jaded. The brain just works that way.
If you don’t want to fall into a hole of pessimism and despair, you have to snap out of it, too. Here are things you can do to overcome feeling jaded.
The first is to notice that it’s happening. We can’t change what we don’t see. So, do a daily check in. Heck, it’s okay to do an hourly check in! Being self-aware is the first step to being who you are or who you want to be.
Do a one minute meditation. A one minute meditation is a great way to break the state that you were in, reset, and start again. It helps you to refocus and refresh. The more one minute meditations you do in a day, the more mindful you will become. Make them a habit! If you do them first thing in the morning and last thing at night, you will always start and end the day open and fresh.
Pause and see life’s miracles. Miracles are all around us. The sunrise is a miracle, isn’t it? The veins on the leaf of a tree, a baby’s palm print, bird song, snow. How did any of them come to be? Let yourself be astounded by the miracle of life. Rejoice that you are a miracle, too. Walk in that knowing.
Unplug. Part of being jaded is being overstimulated. When we enter into a space of quiet, this can shift our perspective. If you take an electronics holiday and slow down, this will help you reset.
Replace complaining with validation. If you feel inspired to complain about politics, traffic, the economy, or your family, pause. Speak something positive that shows the other side of the picture. For example, instead of saying that politics is a racket and elections are rigged, you might comment about the blessing of free speech and the fact that you can vote and have a say in your life.
Clean something. Everything is energy. When energy flows more easily (because the space is clean), it’s easier to feel opportunity, lightness, and joy. Feeling jaded is heavy. This will lighten it up.
Avoid comparisons. We define things through comparison. We know what’s big only in comparison to what’s small. When we take the comparisons away, we’re more objective and centered. We can’t feed jaded if we don’t see disappointment or sameness.
Talk positively about other people behind their backs. Do you ever wonder why some people talk negatively about other people behind their backs, but rarely do people talk positively about others in secret? Why not? Let’s make it a new trend. It’s impossible to feel jaded when you are speaking love and light into the world.
Entertain lots of new and diverse ideas. Our world is only as big as our ideas. When we say “this” is the way it is, “this” becomes a box that we live in. If we never settle for knowing our boundaries, and keeping our options open, life is always fresh and in a state of becoming.
Practice random acts of kindness. Feeling jaded is a reflection of a loss of hope. When you are a living example of what you desire life to be, you feed that hope every day. You plant seeds in the people around you. With fertile ground and tending, they will sprout.
Help someone. Giving of yourself is a way to share your light with the world. If you pair it with an open heart, that jaded feeling will disappear.
Be active. Do you like running, swimming, hiking, or dancing? Moving your body literally shifts the energy. Let activity lift you out of your funk.
Forgive. Is there something you’re holding on to that you need to let go? Regret, sorrow, and judgments are weights upon us. Maybe it’s time to let that go.
Take a chance! Sometimes when we are feeling jaded, we start to contract on ourselves to stay safe. Burst out of that cocoon and take a chance on something. Ask the girl out, smile at the cute guy in your class, start writing that book, or apply for that new job. Success is a great way to overcome feeling jaded.
Surrender. Feeling jaded is about being uninspired. Let yourself feel that fully. Don’t give it to it. Don’t resist it. When we feel it fully, it will inspire you to break out and do something different. All emotions have a positive purpose. Feeling jaded is a call to change something up. It’s a sign that your job, relationship, spiritual path, or something has gone stale. Maybe your mindset has stagnated. Surrender. Exhale. Inhale fresh air and create!
If you need help breaking out of your old way of thinking and being, reach out. I can help with that.