Life is full of emotional chaos, but bringing it back to focused activities that give joy to your soul can mean the difference between making it or breaking it day to day, year to year. Today, find 10 – 15 minutes to grab a pen and paper (your journal if you keep one) and write down everything you can think of that brings you joy.
These don’t have to be profound, earth-shattering things. They can be as simple as waking up in a comfortable, cozy bed; enjoying your first cup of coffee in the morning; looking at the trees and birds out your window; or talking to your best friend. Live music is one for me. Make your very own, personalized joy list and see what comes.
Then, take a look at this list each morning and set your intention to do something from your joy list that day. Look at the list at night and review what you did and how it made you feel. You will notice your outlook on life improve when you are gifting yourself with joyful experiences.
Really revel in those joyful feelings, both while you’re having them and upon reflection each night. Breathe the joy deeply into your body for a breath or two and you will naturally counteract any ingrained negativity biases and rewire your brain for happiness.
Even creating the list will bring a smile to your face!
We all need to take control of our own happiness. Otherwise, we leave ourselves to be buffeted by all the negative emotions that happen when things don’t go as we hoped. We can choose to be happy by committing ourselves to experience joy even amidst all of life’s chaos.
What will you do today that brings you joy?
