Choosing Joy When You Don’t Feel Joyful

10 Tips to Bring Back Your JOY

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In my last post, I talked about Choosing JOY Every Day, but sometimes, you just don’t feel joyful. So, how do you reclaim your JOY when you’re struggling with a tough day or situation? Today, let’s talk about Choosing Joy When You Don’t Feel Joyful.

We know how great life is when we are feeling joyful, but we all have days when we’re not feeling our best. Start by refusing to let negative thoughts take root in your mind, then choose a better feeling activity.  Here are 10 tips to bring back your JOY and crank up your JOY-meter. They can help you with Choosing JOY when you don’t feel joyful.

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Tips to Find Joy When You’re Unhappy, Sad, or Depressed

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First, Gratitude is the shortcut to JOY.  Take a few minutes and think of some things that you are grateful for today. Writing your list down in a journal will give you a bonus boost.

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Hug someone. Hugs help to release tension. They can make you feel warm and loved. So grab your spouse, your kids or even a pet and hug away. During my single years, I was even known to hug on a teddy bear.

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Start a JOY Jar. When good things happen, jot them down on a piece of paper and put it in your JOY Jar. Simple and ordinary things that make you smile are perfect examples. When you need a lift, take a few slips of paper from your JOY Jar and relive the warm feelings.

Take a walk outside. Connecting with nature is an uplifting experience. As you walk, notice the grass, trees, flowers, and birds. Give thanks for all the nature around you. Breathe in the fresh air and listen to the sounds around you.

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Let go. Sometimes we have to just let go of things in order to move forward. Holding on to a grudge, anger or frustration is usually not worth what it does to us emotionally or physically. Forgive yourself or someone else if needed and move forward.

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Find Joy in the Little Things

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Sing, dance, smile, or laugh. These are all great mood busters to get you feeling better quickly. What’s on your music playlist? What’s your favorite comedy TV show? Ask someone to join you for double the fun.

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Find one good thing to focus on. This is one of my favorite tactics. Try to find something good about the person or situation that has upset you. Focus on that one good quality. Or if that doesn’t resonate with you, find something unrelated that feels good and focus on it. Focusing on any one good thought will turn you around quickly. Personally, I have one feel-good thought that I can use anytime.

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Friend therapy is valuable. Having coffee with a friend or even a telephone chat can be the best therapy. Rather than rehashing all the problems of the day, focus the conversation on good things.

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Say a few affirmations. Here are some of my favorites.

-I release all negativity and hold JOY in my heart.

-My life is blessed and full of JOY.

-I welcome JOY in my life.

-I choose to let JOY guide me.

-JOY is my goal.

And I always like to end my affirmations with, All is well.

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 The last tip is to Meditate. Concentrating on your breathing and clearing your mind will restore peace to your soul and JOY to your heart. Many people find it difficult to meditate. It does require concentration on your breathing and being able to block out any distractions. Try to start with just a few minutes and gradually increase your time. Once you master meditation, you will be amazed at the benefits you will receive.

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Bonus tip: One other tidbit that I’d like to suggest is journaling. I have written in journals for 20 years or so. It’s a great way to pour out your heart and clarify your thoughts. Here’s a short video I did on journaling that I think will be helpful.

For further reading, I think you’ll enjoy this article:
4 SIMPLE THINGS TO DO TO BE HAPPIER STARTING TODAY

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I hope these 10 tips have given you some ideas on HOW TO FIND JOY IN YOUR LIFE.

Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be filled with JOY. Even on tough days when you’re struggling, you have the ability to find your own JOY. You just have to make a conscious decision to turn your day around.

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JOY comes in the morning. Psalms 30:5

“JOY is a natural phenomenon. Misery is your creation.” ~Sadhgur

Hey, one more thing…
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And… welcome!

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