What is Joy (And Why You Really, Really Need It)
This post is your guide to creating more joy in your life.
Taking care of your mental health has never been more important. We’re in stressful times. If you’re experiencing sadness, stress, or anxiety, you’re not alone. For many of us, being cooped inside for months at a time isn’t doing anything for our mental health.
This post will help you reduce stress by giving you ideas on how to add more joy into your life. Read more to learn how to feel better, reign in your anxiety, and turn your day/week/month around. Click here to check out our Cultivating Joy template for your Passion Planners or whichever planner you use.
What is Joy?
Joy is a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.
It’s the emotion evoked by well-being, success, good fortune, or the prospect of possessing what one desires. It’s a state of happiness or felicity. (Source: Google & Merriam Webster)
But I don’t think the dictionary definition really captures the magic of joy. Joy is something that comes from inside us, rather than from something external. It’s an inner peace that allows us to feel content and bliss. Now, let me tell you why creating more joy in your life will help you.
Why Will Creating Joy Help?
The important aspect of joy and happiness is that you have to create it for yourself. You’ll almost never find real happiness if you rely on other people or external factors like material items, job promotions, etc.
If you build habits to create moments of joy in your daily life -– in ordinary things – it can help balance out your stress and anxiety. Creating moments of joy can help you stay grounded and focus on the precious nature of every single day. Lose yourself in a moment of laughter and happiness. Do that enough and the light in your life can shine through more often than the darkness.
Appreciating the small things can give us perspective and allow us to be more intentional. If the smile or laughter isn’t enough reward, well-being has also been linked to improved physical health. You could get a lower risk of blood pressure, a stronger immune system, and a longer life.
I challenge you today to think of one thing that brings you joy and do that thing. For me, it’s making an iced cold brew in the morning. It helps me get up in the morning and get started on my best foot. One small thing can lead to larger projects like following a passion or finding a new challenge.
READ: 13 Simple, Easy Ways to Create Joy in Your Every Day Life
Inspirational Quotes About Joy
“Go find your joy. Whatever that is, go find your joy. Are you going to have a good day, or are you going to have a great day? Because it’s completely up to you.” – Sandra Bullock
“Find your joy and let it run your life.” – Cleo Wade
“Find a place inside where there’s joy, and the joy will burn out the pain.” – Joseph Campbell
“No matter what you face today, find your joy in the journey.” – Jennifer Roskamp
“Find your joy, whatever it is, and hold onto it like a life raft. Find those things that give you light, and don’t let them go.” – Karin Hitselberger
“Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you.” – Dr. Seuss
“It is not joy that makes us grateful. It is gratefulness that makes us joyful.” – David Steindl-Rast
“When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.” – Gautama Buddha
“[Joy is] the emotional dimension of the good life, of a life that is both going well and is being lived well.” – Miroslav Vo
“Many people are alive but don’t touch the miracle of being alive.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
RELATED: Free Planner Template for Cultivating Joy – daily / weekly / monthly
