As we inch towards completing 2 long years of pandemic life, we’re all longing for some relief from our collective dour mood. And, whether you’re feeling entirely hopeless or just mildly nostalgic for our pre-pandemic days, there’s an easy life hack to help improve our outlook. Anyone can do it, and it only requires us to take note. As you go about your day, notice when you experience any moments of positive emotion because all the small joys in life add up. Even if they seem insufficient individually, many fleeting moments of pleasure can amount to a significant change in disposition. We’ll explore ways to make the most of joyful moments and get everyone back into better spirits in this Friday FYI.
What is joy?
Depending on who you ask, the definition of joy varies greatly. Here, we’ll use the definition of joy that most psychologists use. Ingrid Fetell Lee defines it as an “intense, momentary experience of positive emotion” in her book Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness. It’s different from happiness or contentment, which are both states of being and are more enduring. Also, joy can be a range of positive emotions. It can be something that makes you smile or something that makes you skip around with glee. Joy can come from within you, like when you remember something cute your kid did. Or it can come from an object, like when you glimpse an unexpectedly colorful car on the highway. Whatever or wherever the source may be, the important thing is to take notice.
Make the most of joyful moments
It’s essential to recognize these moments so you can seek out more. And when these moments happen, savor them. According to a study conducted by researchers Bryant and Veroff, “savoring is an important mechanism through which people derive happiness from positive events”. They identified the following ways to savor a moment:
- Try to remember the event with intent.
- Allow yourself to smile, laugh or otherwise behaviorally express the emotion.
- Share the experience with others, even if you’re only telling another person how much you value a moment you’ve both shared.
- When a joyful moment happens, focus on the physical sensations of the pleasant experience.
- Count your blessings and share your gratitude.
Avoid the killjoy
While this next bit goes without saying, we’ll conclude with it anyway. Also, recognize the killjoys and avoid them. Psychotherapist @chasity.holcomb shared this story on Instagram a while back. She asked her audience, “What is one thing you’ve forgotten about yourself?” Then she described how she would only buy black clothing for a period because black hid flaws. And she had a few things she wanted to hide postpartum. However, after some time, she realized she’d forgotten that wearing color brought her joy, and she quickly went back to wearing color. Detecting joy may be easier than identifying the killjoys in life; however, both are equally necessary.
