Where’s the joy?

Joy. I have really been taking the time to sit with and define what that means to me. It can be a complicated emotion. There are times I will admit where it seems like joy might be a frivolous emotion.

That is a slippery slope to fall down. Joy is just as necessary as all the other emotions. It’s part of the delicate balance of light and dark, good and bad. There is meaning and purpose to celebrating in our lives.

I think part of why I have struggled lately with finding my joy, was like all of us, I was separated from those I most long to share my joyful moments. Thank goodness for video calls, but that human contact definitely has a special spot in our celebrations of joy.

So first and foremost we need to define what joy is? Well that’s an individual as a person’s coffee order. Grab a journal and think of a time you felt joy. What were you doing, who were you with? How does joy feel in your body? Write all this down. Get curious and start uncovering what brings joy to your life.

When you think about times or situations that brought you joy, was there any accompanying shame or guilt? Did you feel bad for having a great day while your best friend or partner had an what felt like their worst day? Maybe joy wasn’t openly celebrated in your house, sit with those feelings too. It may be the start to some answers as to why more joy might be missing in your life.

If you are finally starting to see the picture of what joy means to you take shape, now is the fun part. Start making a list of the activities, people, food, whatever that brings you joy. This list will come in handy when you inevitably have one of those days where the world looks gray.

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