How I’m Tuning Into Joy

The older I become, the more I importance I place on being joyful over feeling happy. I have come to believe that while happiness is connected to and triggered by external factors, joy is more internally stimulated and less fleeting. Distinguishing the two may seem like semantics but I see value in doing so. That is not to say that I always function from some blissed out place. The truth is that there are many days when I deal with depression, disappointment and discouragement. This past year has been a particularly difficult chapter in my life. One positive that has come from it though is the reminder that I can’t lean on things outside of myself to feel well. That’s a guaranteed way to be on an emotional roller-coaster. Recently, I have been on that ride a lot.

I definitely hope certain things happen during the rest of 2021 such as a decline of the Covid pandemic. (Who doesn’t, right?) Despite my wishes, there is no telling what is coming. I do know that I want to be in a better place mentally regardless of how things unfold. With that said, there are a few practices that have helped me live in a joyful state and I’m embracing once more.