Seek and Embrace Joy

When was the last time you felt joyous? Can you recall a time that you described yourself as joyous? Or someone else described you as such?

In our hustle-bustle society joy is given pretty low rank, but why is that? Is our purpose on this planet to draft and send emails? Scroll through social media mindlessly? Worry over future events or ruminate on the past? Most assuredly not, yet these items seem to engulf our days and nights.

If you want to reject the rote behaviors of mundane tasks and the worry that life too often brings, you can prioritize joy! By doing so you can maximize your happiness, love, relationships, health, and quality of life. So I ask, why wouldn’t you prioritize joy in life?

Let’s take that a step further. I challenge you to think about what it would look like if you were to prioritize joy in your daily life. I am not talking about living without consequence consideration, buying anything you choose and racking up debt, or escaping into a party life. What I am talking about is cherishing and savoring that which moves your soul and sparks your heart. Recall a time when you witnessed a child learning a new task or earning praise for a freshly finger painted family portrait. The look on the child’s face is one of pure joy. Can you recapture that essence? Can you be present in a conversation with an old friend and recall joyous moments spent together? Can you see the small miracles of life like a blossoming flower or pollinating bee as though seeing them for the first time? This takes intentional thought and practice, but eventually the more joy you intentionally seek in these small life moments the more joyous a person you will become overall.

Joy ushers in health. Those that embrace positivity heal quicker and have decreased pain sensations and a stronger immune system. What wonderful results for such an easy intervention! A random stranger once said to me, “You look so joyous.” Honestly I think that was probably one of the best compliments I have ever had! To be of a joyous spirit is to share joy with others. Join me in sharing that joy my friends!

This blog was written by Dr. Carrie Jarosinski and originally published on her website https://www.boldcontentment.com/.

If you are interested in Carrie’s newest wellness book, Reclaim Your Story: Renew Your Health and Wellness through the Power of Storytelling, you can buy it here.