I was listening to a keynote speaker recently and I learned just how valuable it is for your overall health to feel joy. Depending on your algorithm, you may have heard the word “joy” a lot in recent months, and for good reason. You’d be hard pressed to say we’re not living in tough times. The stress and uncertainty comes at us from so many angles and is virtually impossible to avoid. You might even find yourself suddenly losing hours of time after you pick up your phone because you somehow ended up doomscrolling.
Fear needs to continually be fed, and almost demands it. Not getting pulled into the endless spiral of fear becomes more and more challenging, and happiness can feel like it’s running farther and farther away. But joy goes above and beyond simple happiness– joy is a state of mind, rather than an emotion. Let’s look at what you can do to stay (somewhat) sane.
Pro Tip #1: Throw a wrench in the gears- set time limits on news and media exposure each day. Replace that time with something that brings you joy. Joy is more than just feeling happy. It’s multi-faceted, meaning it can be both an emotion or personality trait. It involves savoring the moment. It’s deeper than happiness. Ever find yourself smiling the kind of smile that goes from ear to ear and crinkles your eyes and gives you a feeling of intense satisfaction? That’s joy.
There are a lot of health benefits to finding joy in life (or to being your joyful self, if that’s who you are!). Feeling joy activates changes within your brain and body. It releases feel-good chemicals in your brain and activates your adrenaline system in a positive way so that you’re ready for action (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 2023). Studies have also found that joyfulness can extend your life expectancy, help you manage pain better, and have a better immune system response when exposed to illness. It has also been correlated with better cardiovascular outcomes like lower blood pressure and reduced risk of stroke.
Pro Tip #2: Get up & move! Incorporating movement into our days helps our bodies release our natural feel-good chemicals. Combine movement with mindfulness or meditation for a double whammy of joy! Stay in the present moment and immerse yourself in the what you see around you- the sensations, sounds, and sights. During springtime, this might look like taking a walk in nature and savoring how the sun warms you up, the sounds of birds re-energizing themselves, and the sights of the world reawakening after winter.
Pro Tip #3: Treat developing your joyfulness skills like you would building muscles. For many of us, being joyful may not come naturally. There might be times in life where finding joy seems hard. Taking time each day to identify the things that brought joy to you, or that were positive, can help you grow that muscle. The more you do it, the faster you get at finding your joy and savoring situations that produce more joy…just like how the more consistently you lift weights, the better able you are to lift more or for longer over time.
Pro Tip #4: Make a list of the things that bring meaning to your life. Keep it in a spot you can look at easily if you’re having a tough time or it feels like everywhere you look is chaos. Staying honed in on the things that are within your control and which give you meaning can help you know where to focus your energy when things seem overwhelming.
Pro Tip #5: Connect with people who bring joy to your life and create community around the act of finding joy. We are social beings by nature and connection can often inspire us to feel more joyful, to try new things, and engage our brains in ways that looking at a screen can’t.
Pro Tip #6: Put your phone down and step off the social media for a bit. See above- the more time we spend on our phones, the less connected we are. Social connection through in-person interaction helps release oxytocin in our bodies, which is one of our joy bringing chemicals.
Your challenge, if you choose to accept it, is to try some of these tips and see which ones work the best for you. If you’re struggling to find joy, therapy is always a good option to help you hone in on what works the best for you and to help you find meaning in life.
SOURCES:
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. (2023, March 20). Joy is good for your body and your mind – three ways to feel it more often. RCSI. https://www.rcsi.com/impact/details/2023/03/joy-is-good-for-your-body-and-your-mind
Berges, I. M., Seale, G., & Ostir, G. V. (2014). Positive Affect and Pain Ratings in Persons with Stroke. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3063951/
Bhattacharyya, M. R., Whitehead, D. L., Rakhit, R., & Steptoe, A. (2008). Depressed mood, positive affect, and heart rate variability in patients with suspected coronary artery disease. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18941130
Boehm, J. K., Peterson, C., Kivimaki, M., & Kubzansky, L. D. (2011). Heart health when life is satisfying: evidence from the Whitehall II cohort study. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21727096
Boehm, J. K., Winning, A., Segerstrom, S., & Kubzansky, L. (2015). Variability Modifies Life Satisfaction’s Association With Mortality Risk in Older Adults. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26048888
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Davidson, K. W., Mostofsky, M., & Whang, W. (2010). Don’t worry, be happy: positive affect and reduced 10-year incident coronary heart disease: The Canadian Nova Scotia Health Survey. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2862179/
Newman, K. M. (2015). Six Ways Happiness Is Good for Your Health. Retrieved from: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/six_ways_happiness_is_good_for_your_health
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Strine, T. W., Chapman, D. P., Balluz, L. S., Moriarty, D. G., & Mokdad, A. H. (2008). The associations between life satisfaction and health-related quality of life, chronic illness, and health behaviors among U.S. community-dwelling adults. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18080207