Is it OK to feel joyful during COVID-19 a global health pandemic?
A recognition it is OK to be joyful during a global health pandemic. (6 min Read)
This is the third blog in the three part series on emotions. We had to end on an “emotional high”! So there was no better emotion than “Joy” to end this blog series. What springs to mind when you read the word “Joy”? I hope as you are reading the aforementioned word that a smile is coming to your face. 😊
Next, let’s get some musical inspiration for our blog today. We’re going to start getting those happy vibes from R.E.M. with their effusively happy song, “Shiny Happy People”;
“Everyone around love, them love them
put it in your hands take it, take it
there’s no time to cry, happy, happy
put it in your heart where tomorrow shines”
Can you watch that music video without smiling or joining in a little? I can’t! 😊In the previous blog we considered how your emotions are “contagious”. So it’s really important to recognise this, when we’re communicating over Zoom or the medium of your choice. Be truthful to your emotions and let people know if you need a pick me up or support.
Just say, “I feel x. It would be great if you could help me lift my mood”. You’ve then opened the space for other people to acknowledge how you feel and have asked for the other person to respond with something that will bring “more energy to your mood”. 😊
Before we really get into this blog, I want to acknowledge that we are living in “tough and strange times.” Despite this, I wanted to let everyone out there know it is still 100% OK to feel joy in this “these times”. In fact, I actively encourage it! Why? It has many well-being benefits. 😊Working to increase our “joy” can lead us to a more grateful and confident life. 😊
Today’s blog is encouraging you to think about how you can get more “joy” in your life. So we’re going to explore what joy is as opposed to happiness. We’ll do that by looking at the following topics:
Joy v Happiness
Reflect on how you can create more “joyful moments”
How to spread love and happiness
My Personal Story
Joy v Happiness
Happiness and joy are almost inextricably linked! Some may argue that they are interchangeable. However, it’s worth looking at why they are different. Have you ever heard the phrase that “joy is fleeting” and so hang onto it when it comes! 😊Let’s now look at the definitions of “Joy” and “Happiness”.
Would you agree with the above definitions? For me personally, I do consider there to be a difference between joy and happiness. It doesn’t bother me what camp you’re in! So, long as you work towards more positive feelings whether you label them “Joy” or “Happiness”, I 💯support you. ❤️❤️
Are you ready to think about how to create more “joyful moments”? That’s what we’re going to be thinking about in the next section. 😊
Reflect on how you can create more “joyful moments”
So considering the above definition of “joy”. How do you think you could create more moments of joy? Please reflect on the questions provided in the 3 tips to create more joy for you. 😊
Smiling has wonderful well-being benefits. Do it More!
Here are 3 ideas to inspire you create more joy in your life:
1 Reflect on three instances where you felt joy. Who was there? Where were you? Do you notice a common theme? (There may not be one and that’s OK.)
2 Change is constant, so ditch the negative thoughts! When you ditch the negative thoughts you have more mental space for optimistic, hopeful and joyful thoughts. How will you let go of some negative thoughts?
3 Relax, be silly and laugh! Laughter is the best medicine. It instantly makes us feel better. 😊How will you find more time to relax?
Next up we’re going to consider how we can spread love and happiness. 😊❤️
How to spread love and happiness
It really doesn’t take much to spread love and happiness. I want you to recognise how “being present” and truly “spending time with someone” is the best way to spread love and happiness. First up, it does not cost anything! Why is this the best thing to do? It's the best thing to do because it can “so easily be done”, but because it’s “so easy to do” often we don’t do it properly. We’re distracted, not focussed on the moment or the present. I urge you to “spend your time spreading love”. I believe that you will. ❤️❤️
My Personal Story
To finish, I’d like to tell a personal story. Recently, I ran to my local bakery in the blazing sun. Why? To donate cakes to NHS workers at my local hospital and to get eggs to bake my Husband’s Birthday cake. I can’t explain it but, doing those 2 things made me feel “joyful” and I almost felt “like it was my Birthday!” It was a strong and fleeting feeling I felt as I was running to the bakery. I had also baked some bread that morning, which made me feel happy. ❤️So all in all, happiness and joy can be contiguous, “Do something kind” and see how you feel? 😊
I hope that, You Do Your Own Random Act of Kindness Soon. ❤️
So today, I am going to give you 4 tips on how to create “space” for more joy in your life.
1 Self Care
Self Care is not “Selfish” nor is it a “luxury”. We need time to rest and recharge. Like how we recharge our mobile or cell phones every day! We must consider our personal well-being. So consider how we feel when “our battery is not charged”! To help us think about how well our “battery is charged”, consider the list below:
I feel tired during the day
I have a feeling of low energy
I find it hard to concentrate
I find it hard to focus
I am not feeling 100%
Insert your own
If you are feeling anything on the above list, then you need to look into why are you feeling this way? You may need to make some adjustments to your routines. For example if you’re feeling “tired”, you may need to look at how much sleep you are getting. Whether you need to have a better “routine around sleep” and consider your “bedtime” and “waking time”, to see if you need to make adjustments. Try going to “bed earlier” and reflect on how you feel?
2 Be Kind to yourself
As I always say, you’ve got to be kind to yourself and acknowledge that you’ve been through a lot. You need to take care of yourself, so that you can take care of your family and friends. Embed weekly, daily or whatever frequency works for you, of some kind of self care activity.
3 Positive Affirmations
We all need to think positively about ourselves. To help you do this I would urge you to construct a powerful statement which you wish to affirm about yourself. An example of an affirmation about creating more joy in your life could be.
“I am grateful for the many wonderful people in my life, for access to nature and my ability to enjoy my life just as it is.”
By Ekua Cant
4 Random Acts of Kindness
We all need love and empathy in our lives. So by taking the time to do an unexpected or random act of kindness is really powerful. It’s powerful on many counts, but to name two:
1 It makes you feel good! 😊
2 It makes the other person feel good too! 💛
Resources
Gimme the Joy Radio - Podcast
I’m Sorry, How to Apologize and Why it Matters - Podcast
Pain into Purpose: Rethinking ‘Mental Health’ - Webinar
Self Care is not Selfish - Blog