5 ways to prioritize joy in daily life

Take a minute to think about your typical day – or even week. Are you one of those people who is so wrapped up in your busy schedules, never-ending to-do lists, and work projects, that sometimes, you feel like it’s really hard to focus on yourself? Showers get pushed to the side, or workouts, or actually, eat when you need to. Before you know it, all of your needs are pushed to the side and everyone else is taken care of before yourself. Sounds like being an adult (especially a parent), right? But, what if I told you that we can have it all, while also focusing on our wants and needs, and most importantly, prioritizing joy. Joy. It’s a word that we all aim for, but rarely do we focus on it. Here are five things to do to bring yourself joy, if you find yourself needing more of it in your life:

Words of Affirmation

Have you heard of manifesting something into existence? While I’m not sure everyone believes in manifesting, what I do know is that words of affirmation work. Repeating positive thoughts, mantras, or sayings can help flip your mood from mad, sad, or hurt to joyful, happy, and positive. Do you want more joy in your life? Think about the word joy and say it aloud each morning. How can you reach the feeling of joy today? Think about what joy means to you. Be as specific as possible, imagining the feeling of joy, the images it conjures up, perhaps even the people and situations who trigger joy. Sign off your emails with the word joy (Okay – maybe not, but you get what I’m saying!). More joy will rise up if you simply invite it to do so.

Focus on Gratitude

Be grateful for what you have in your life now. Take a few moments every day to really savor what makes you happy and give thanks for it. It could be waking up in a warm bed, enjoying a piece of cake in a cafe while watching the world go by, walking with your dog (or kids!) in the fresh air, or simply being healthy. When you create feelings of gratitude, you change the feeling in your heart. Just think what effect having a heart bursting with gratitude can have on your mind and your body.

Learn a New Skill

We are put on this planet to expand and grow as humans. Stagnation can be one of the most frustrating and joy-sucking feelings there is. Whether you’re learning a new skill that can help you with your career, relationships, health, or just learning for the pleasure of growth it’s all good. You can go as simple as reading an interesting book in an area you’d like to grow or dive into a class to get that student experience. 

Find a Career That You Love

We spend so much of our day-to-day life at work, so why not find something that you love? Is it hard to go back to school or take a leap of faith in a new career? Definitely. But, potential joy and happiness make it so worth it. My friend’s husband is in a career that he loves, but works with people that make his job very stressful. My friend was saying how that stress extends into their day-to-day life at home, making things very tense. He is currently job searching but is nervous about change. It will be worth it though, for the potential happiness. Don’t let fear hold you back!

Don’t be Afraid to Take a Big Leap

Sometimes, if your life is not already filled with joy, you will need to make some big decisions and changes in your life. Think long and hard about what you need to change, and then implement those changes. Don’t be afraid to make a big leap, such as moving. Things like that can open huge doors for you and bring new experiences and opportunities to your plate. Don’t do it alone, however. If you are in VA like me, ★Star City Services★ can help you make the moving process easier and less stressful. They are residential and commercial movers in Roanoke, plus, they offer many other services such as packing and unpacking, labor-only moving services, delivery services, piano moving, and more. When you work with Star City Services, they bring customer-focused service, fast and efficient services, and competitive pricing to the table. They are also family-owned and operated, meaning that you are directly benefiting a local family, which I love! They’ll go above and beyond to make your moving experience easy and maybe even fun, so if moving is your big leap, don’t be afraid to jump in.

Prioritizing joy can be relatively hard, but it will benefit your life so much in the long-term, because you will (hopefully) be happier and more positive, for both yourself and others.