Getting through COVID-19
It’s been a very tough time for the Arts – so tough in fact that lots of professional musicians are giving up music for good. This life crisis is leaving many of us feeling joyless and every thing becomes a micro stress. Its tough to find happiness and joy when life sucks.
The covid crisis should be enough to remove the narcissistic view of karma and that life has purpose or meaning but it shouldn’t and doesn’t remove the need/desire/pleasure in finding joy.
Seek joy in everyday life will
Raising your mood
Supporting longevity
Boosting your immunity
Promotes a healthier lifestyle
How to find joy in life
1. Skip the Comparison Game
Comparison will always be the thief of joy. When you start comparing your life to others, it immediately puts you into a scarcity mindset and sometimes even an envious mindset. Spending time looking at what you don’t have only serves as a time waster and a joy thief.
Keep your head out of social media but if you do have to go there ask yourself if its bringing you joy or adding to your micros stress levels. Being awareness of comparisons and then stopping to reflect on what you’re thankful for in your life takes the power out of comparisons.
2. Enjoy the Small Things
Sometimes it’s important to remember that the small things are everything. In an era of doing everything at warp speed, we often skip right over truly savouring moments that are pleasurable.
Enjoying the “small things” include:
Watering the plants
Reading a good book
Turning on the music
Singing out loud
Dancing
Walking with your dog
Experiencing alone time
Enjoying a cup of Tea
When you take the time to savour these experiences, the practice itself can lead you to feel happier and more welcoming of joyful moments — no matter how big or small —more easily.
3. Start a Conversation
As social beings, it’s important for us to connect with others.
Experts agree that social interaction has an impact on people’s positive emotions. Whether you’ve kept away from people because of the pandemic or have kept yourself overbooked and overworked, make time for conversation. Any day of the week is a good time to connect with others. Open your address book and call someone every day. Even a two minute interaction can have positive effects.
4. Play
Breakaway from stress temporarily by playing intentionally. Whatever that looks like to you, make time for it when you feel your to-do list swelling or your tension headache tightening.
Easy ways to “play” as an adult:
Play with the kids -Get on your child’s level and play on the floor. Try to take on a child-like mentality of being carefree and enjoying the moment.
Love puzzles? -Keep a small puzzle like a Rubik’s cube or small metal puzzles on your desk. Solve away your stress!
Squeeze stress dough -Keep stress dough on your desk. Squeeze when needed to relieve tension. Build little sculptures and play like you would with regular playdough.
Dance - Boogie to the sound of the photocopier or twirl every time you go to the kitchen - you can dance almost anywhere or at any time
5. Create a Joy List
When was the last time you took a pause to think about all the things in your life that bring you joy? Whether it’s activities, people, pets, or another joy-bringing object, reflect on it often.
Take a moment and write a list of any and everything that brings you joy. That list may include anything as simple as seeing a sunrise or as deep as being thankful for a supportive spouse. If you want, keep it on your phone in a note to look over when you’re having a bad day and need a little joy lift.
And it doesn’t have to be profound – it can be pretty basic actually
Fresh sheet on your bed
Baking scones
Cleaning out a draw
Colour coding your library
Using your best cup
Wapping out the broken, chipped and damaged for the good stuff
6. Spread Kindness
Acts of kindness don’t need to be elaborate to bring you or others joy. In fact, the less you have to think about it, the more it becomes a habit and infuses joy into your daily life.
Bring joy to yourself and others by:
Emailing a compliment to a coworker
Running an errand for a single parent
Sharing a self-help book you enjoyed
Dropping off groceries to a quarantined friend
Smiling
Thanking health worker, ambulance drivers, police and anyone else who keeps us safe
Just show appreciation for others
Additionally, research backs up that spreading kindness does you good, too. One 2005 study found individuals were happier when they performed a variety of kind acts. Mix it up and you’ll find varying levels of joy along the way!
7. Spend Time With Nature
When you get outside, you may find stress levels reduce right along with your anxiety. Additionally, quiet time in the great outdoors can induce a reflective mood. Research shows a 90-minute walk outdoors reduces the activity in the brain that focuses on negative thinking.
Can’t get out into nature due to inclement weather or other reasons? Bring nature to you. Studies show that even the sounds of nature or viewing nature (think natural landscape wallpapers for your phone or computer or even an indoor plant) can bring feelings of joy.
8. Let Go of the Negative
How do you feel after receiving bad news or negative feedback? Probably not so great, right? Negativity has a way of going on a loop in the brain and instantly stealing joy. You can make a conscious decision to let go of negativity, though.
Let the joy in by:
Being intentional -Decide to let go of the negative thought, feeling, etc.
Write it down -If it helps, write down the negative emotion and then crumble up the paper and toss it out.
Get it out -If writing it and tossing it out isn’t enough, consider talking it over with a trusted person who will just listen.
Train for the positive -When possible, see how you can turn a negative into a positive.
Look at this as an opportunity for growth or a new challenge to look for the positive in every day —even if it’s just one thing!
9. Wear Your Favourite Items
When you put on your favourite sweater, necklace, perfume, etc., it probably puts a smile on your face. At the very least, you feel an inkling of joy and maybe even sigh as you put your favourite cozy pullover on.
There’s something about wearing special pieces that can turn your day around. If you’re ever in a slump — and maybe you’ve become accustomed to too many work-from-home yoga pants days —consider what you’re wearing. When you dress up in clothes that make you feel good or spritz a favourite scent onto your skin that evokes a special memory, it sparks joy.
Don’t save that dress, shirt, or anything else for a “special occasion.”
Instead, make that occasion today.
Where Will You Find Joy Today?
Now that you have an idea of where and how to find joy, make it your new mission.
How will you uncover joy in each and every day?
Even if you have to start small by just starting with a smile — whether to yourself or others — that’s a step in the right direction. Give the other above activities a try at least once, too.
Keep it simple. It doesn’t need to be over-the-top. Most of all, keep in mind that you don’t have to “wait” for a certain experience, moment, or person to bring you joy. You can create your own joy whenever — and however — you wish.
When you practice experiencing joy daily, it may eventually become second-nature and help you enhance your overall emotional state —day in and day out.