Seven Ways To Infuse More Joy In Your Life

One of the most common things my physician clients share with me is that they desire more joy in their lives, yet they believe that they are too busy to have it.

Is it true?

Is it possible to be busy and to have joy at the same time?

The very first step in adding more joy is to decide you want more joy in your life and you believe you get to have it. It sounds simple, but if you do not believe that more joy is available to you, then you are going to subconsciously find reasons to support why happiness is a far reach for you. When you believe that you can have more joy, your mind will be open to possibilities, opportunities to bring more happiness into your life in different ways.

The second way to increase joy is to practice gratitude. No matter how busy you are, how challenging you situation is, it is always possible to find a few seconds at a time, several times a day, to be thankful. You get to thank anyone or anything. How does it feel when you have something you can be thankful for? Be thankful for things that went well. Be thankful for lessons you have learned from challenging situations. Having something or someone to be grateful for generates more abundant feeling and joy in life.

Surround yourself with the right people is another way to bring more joy to your life. You are greatly influenced by people you have close contact with. If they are positive, encouraging and uplifting, you will likely be affected in a favorable way. That beats having miserable, stressed and grumpy colleagues around you any day – they may bring you down the path of negativity, the path of never enough, the path of you being stepped on. You get to influence one another, so choose the more pleasant people to spend more time with.

The fourth way is to smile. Smiling helps relieve the tension you are experiencing. Smiling releases endorphins. It helps relieve pain. Smiling is a natural mood booster, for yourself and for other people who experience your smile. Even in a difficult situation, smiling can make you feel that things more manageable.

Staying light-hearted is another way to increase joy in your life. It is alright not to be serious all the time. Being light-hearted does not mean you are ignoring the gravity of a situation. It does not mean you are disrespectful. It is when you are carrying a curious perspective to approach a situation. It is when you are putting down the anxiety to find possible solutions. You come from a place of peace and hope.

The sixth way to bring more joy is to do at least one to two things a day that will make you happy. Only you know what those things are. You get to decide what they are. For example, watching your favorite TV show, playing tennis, listening to your favorite song, or cooking your favorite dish. There is always time to do it if you decide it is worth your time to do it. Having more joy in life, even just for a few minutes, is worth the effort to intentionally make time for it.

Last but not least, think happy thoughts. Focus on things which bring you joy. This does not mean for you to ignore other things in life. It is simply to spend more time mentally in the pleasant moments. It may sound simple, yet sometimes it takes effort choose to do it intentionally.

To have more joy in life is to have a more fulfilling life. We can be busy and find time to bring more joy in our lives. It is possible to have both.