How much time have you spent considering joy? It’s an emotion that many of us experience fleetingly, but rarely do we ever consider how we could contribute to a greater sense of joy.
While many people believe happiness can be found in material wealth or possessions, climbing the career ladder, or building a family, most people don’t realize joy is an internal process.
As we continue, I’d like you to consider a few questions.
• Where does joy live?
• How do you know you’re experiencing joy authentically?
• What makes you open to joy?
• Do you feel more joyful at different times of the year?
• Is your joy external or internal?
• How can you find joy more consistently?
If you ask a room of 100 people what you think about joy, you will get a diverse response. There will likely be a common thread in those responses, however, it’s a personal connection. Your personal connection may be to nature, loved ones, life, or a god. We often associate joy as coming via a conduit. Joy is a natural part of the human experience when you aim to personally connect with every moment.
Engage In Pleasure
There are a variety of ways in which you can seek joy, many of them revolve around self-care. The reality of the situation is that while external situations can bring fleeting joy, internal joy is lasting. You should seek out activities that are fun! They don’t have to be goal-oriented, there’s doesn’t need to be a point, do it because it feels fun.
It’s also important that you deal with any sadness which might be blocking your joy. Joy is impossible when you are sad. If you are experiencing sadness, then you should find somewhere quiet and let yourself process that sadness. If you need to cry, do it. If you need to be mad, do it! You can acknowledge loss, hurt, pain, and sadness. Don’t get caught up in the negative inner thoughts you’re having. Experience the sadness, process it, and shake it off.
A change is as good as a rest, or so they say, but rest is important. Don’t overlook regular breaks to nurture, refresh, reflect, and reenergize. Escape from the chaos of your day and put your feet up. Do activities that bring you joy because they are truly acts of self-care, whether it’s a nap, hot bath, or a massage.
Laughter feels amazing so it shouldn’t surprise you that laughing more often will bring you more joy. Go out of your way to have a good giggle.
Love also brings joy, but it isn’t about finding a partner who will love you unconditionally. Rather, it’s learning to love yourself unconditionally and extending that to the people in your life. You’ve probably heard people say that no one else will love you until you find a way to love yourself.
Well, the only way to find unconditional love from others is to first tap into your well of unconditional love. Think about how you apply conditions to your affections. Think about how you operate with others and whether that is behavior that will bring you joy or is something stifling your joy.
The biggest mistake you can make about joy is believing that happiness finds you. I want to correct you on that – happiness and joy are active choices you make. However, your choices can be influenced by your environment, which is why you must surround yourself with the most positive people you know. You choose joy and you choose your influences, too.
Check out more of our content below:
- 9 Habits of Highly Successful People
- Experience Joy through Acts of Selflessness
- Create Joy: Identify and Hold Onto Thoughts That Make You Feel Good
- Can Joy Help Protect Your Immune System
- How to Overcome Stress with Joy
- How Joy Affects Your Mental Health
- Find More Joy: Create a New Life Story
- 5 Really Bad Consequences of Chronic Boredom
- 5 Cool & Tricky Ways to Eat More but Weight Less
I really hope you enjoyed this. Please subscribe to my newsletter and leave me a comment down below letting me know if you have any questions at all!