Cultivating Joy
The emotion of joy is something I have been coming back to often lately. Experiencing moments of joy, finding joy in the little things and having the mindset to appreciate these moments big or small.
I think it is really easy to get wrapped up in the day to day, the long to-do lists, the chores, all the things that need to get done, and forget to prioritize something that lights us up and brings us joy. As someone who has experienced chronic illness, I also think it’s easy to get caught up in not feeling well when you’re in the thick of suffering and pain. We may forget that joy can pop up even for a moment during a really hard day. Joy doesn’t mean everything in your life is perfect, and is not something you receive when you do everything perfectly or get everything else done. Joy is a “in this moment” emotion. It can be felt in the quickest of moments and pass. It challenges us to cultivate more presence and be vulnerable enough to feel the experiences around us. It helps us engage with life and be reminded when we are on track. We don’t have to have everything figured out, or have everything going exactly right to have a joyful experience. We just need to be open to our experiences and present enough to recognize this connection of what lights us up in any given moment.
I felt an overwhelming hit of joy in the moment when I caught and rode this beautiful wave. Leading up to this moment however, was a big physical struggle. The ocean had been trampling me like a stampede of wild horses, my arms felt like overcooked noodles and I was having difficulty imagining breaking out of this repetitive thrashing cycle. Staying in the moment allowed me to experience it all. Both the struggle and the pure joy when I finally stood up and got to experience the rush of being gently moved and supported by the same ocean that had been tossing me around like a heavy washing machine cycle.
Sometimes a moment of joy can show up right in the middle of something really hard. Maybe we worked really hard to accomplish something that we are proud of, and this contrast of the struggle makes the joy feel so much bigger. But we also don’t need to experience struggle to experience joy.
I heard someone say recently that joy is an emotion we experience when we feel connected to something that makes life worth living. Sometimes we forget to notice this connection in our day to day and save it for only the “big” moments. Joy can be experienced in any moment, big or small. Joy can be the emotion you feel from a cool breeze on a hot summer day, listening to your favorite song, watching your dogs play, sipping the perfect morning latte, watching your child learn something new, dancing at a concert, or accomplishing a goal. It can be experienced feeling your toes in the sand, watching the sun rise or set, in a moment of stillness, cuddling up with a cozy blanket, a really good hug, or reading a great book. The range of experiences that can bring joy is vast and individual and everyone deserves to experience it. I wonder if we can increase our experiences of joy just by becoming more aware and present.
When you think of joy, what do you think of? What brings you joy and how often do you experience it? What lights you up and makes you want to get out of bed in the morning? What makes you feel connected? Is there room in your life to cultivate more joy?
