You can always take a few minutes out, sit down and, closing your eyes, bring up in your mind a picture of pure, unadulterated joy. Sun on your face, the wind gently touching your body here and there, the realization that your closest people are around. You know you have nothing to press you into activity, you are free and easy.
True, joy can be a rare guest – but you can cherish the memories and bring them back whenever you want to.
While it may seem that joy and happiness are the same things, it is not so – though they are certainly related and go along quite often. Happiness is more intense and exciting, bringing the feeling of deep satisfaction. It can wear off quickly. Joy is a more enduring condition, bringing peace of mind and contentment.
What’s more, feeling happiness and/or joyfulness you acquire health benefits as well. Scientists aver that feeling happy or joyful lowers blood pressure, stabilizes the heart rate, strengthens the immune system. People whose emotions are often bright fall ill more seldom, and that includes local and mild pains. Needless to say, happiness and contentment prolong life. A study in the Journal of Happiness Studies reveals that those who are habitually contented have a 53% possibility to enjoy longer life.
If you mean to be happier, see how you can go about it straight away.
Introduce mindful hobbies or other activities
This works especially well for individuals who are on the incessant move. Do you make a point of finding a moment to slow down and feel peace and quiet envelop you? It would make for a great opportunity to wind down, whether passively, through meditation, or actively – walking, reading, doing small chores in the garden. If you do all of those little things slowly, in a quiet place, allowing you to converse with your inner self, you are getting excellent rest and fill yourself with calmness.
Go beyond your comfort zone and locate a suitable goal
If you grow tired of living through another day which is like all the rest, you need to look for excitement. Think of a new venture which would be meaningful and rewarding, something you haven’t done before – like parachute jumping. It will be a change, new experience rushing in, an exciting event to discuss; the joy will be yours and it will be something to recollect with pleasure whenever you feel low.
Remain here and now
The feelings of loss and sadness often come from the past, misgivings come from the future. If you stay in the present and take life day by day, problems can seem less acute and far-away, while we can concentrate on how we are really feeling at this moment.
When you learn to close in on the present moment, focusing on doing yoga, chatting with a friend, or listening to your favorite playlist, you feel your life full of small joys that eradicate darker feelings. The more you zero in on whatever you are doing right now, the more you exclude troubles that don’t require your attention and efforts and just loom on the horizon.
Spruce yourself up
Even as you are applying your makeup you can feel invigorated and refreshed; how would you feel if you were to introduce new touches to your appearance? Even better? So, do your everyday grooming with more concentration and extemporize as you go along. This way you end up with a better appearance and a brisker mood for the day. It doesn’t have to relate to your whole appearance – a lucky idea for your nails alone can bring a wonderful result!
Bring passion in
Working responsibilities carry little passion – if it is your case, think about how you can reinstall in your life activities that arise your passion, any will do. A quarter of an hour of anything that excites your interest adds loads of purpose and joy into an insipid day, and the anticipation of the time when you can turn your mind to your favorite occupation can make your daily chores and duties more bearable and even pleasanter.
Let your inner child out and don’t be afraid to go a little silly
With the growing years we are gradually losing touch with our inner child as we get cynical; it impairs our abilities for pure fun and innocuous silliness. Yet joy is closely linked with our childhood and youthful buoyancy. See if you would like to bring back some of your habits from good old childhood days – maybe climb a tree, or run after a butterfly. Roller coasters may remind you of your days of fun. You may feel years slip off your back and with them the rigidness and the doldrums that get in the way of joyfulness.
Let gratitude in
Something unsettles us, and we instantly jump to the conclusion that everything went out of hand and is spiraling down. It is the time to get a firm grip on reality and count your blessings that you undoubtedly have. They can help you change your life around. A notebook of gratitude wasn’t such a bad idea, after all.
You can count your blessings in your mind every day, especially if you set out a time for it while you are standing in the shower or riding in public transport. Try and feel everything good there is in your life, and with gratitude, you can regain the joyous state.
Give yourself small treats
Going shopping is not also known as retail therapy for nothing. You don’t have to go overboard with that to the depletion of your bank account, surely, but you can – from time to time – order something exotic in a restaurant, buy a new piece of clothing, a souvenir to remember this fall by. Take pains to do what you feel like doing periodically. Times can be tough, but why stop treating yourself to niceties?
Get closer to your real self
Those pulled into performing for social media sites to get into the habit of behaving to please and interest others. It takes them further from their genuine selves. While it brings a certain kind of joy, this joy evaporates quickly since it has little to do with ourselves. Real contentment must be looked for outside the entertainment of the social media.
Volunteering for social work
It is the advice that crops up quite often for one good reason: it’s really better to be a giver. Giving and servicing other people can be a strong boost to one’s mental condition. It is a scientifically proven fact – as emerges from a study, a month of practicing kind and social behavior in one group of volunteers and self-centered behavior in the second group showed definite results: kindness and consideration generate more positive emotions and lead to better psychological wellbeing.
Stay more in the open
In the embrace of Mother Nature, we feel better. There are marvels for the eye, symphonies for the ear, caresses for the skin, and the feeling of freedom in the air. A mere walk outside can alter your mood, and a longer activity produces even a more lasting impression. A hike, a camping outing or a bike ride will provide you with overwhelming sensations that can eclipse any bad feelings, and the world’s grandeur will stay with you for time to come.
