How Much Joy Is in Your Day?

Recently, I attended a training session on working with emotions. We discussed various emotions and concluded that there are far fewer positive emotions than negative ones. This makes sense from an evolutionary perspective—joy doesn’t contribute to survival in the same way that anxiety, fear, or aggression do. We’re all too familiar with those.

But what about joy, satisfaction, and happiness? How much of that do we have in our lives? Do we even notice these emotions? Do we consciously choose—or even create—them for ourselves? And how can we do that?

Here’s a brief guide on how to make your life more joyful and interesting.

How to learn to experience positive emotions

1. Learn to notice the good.
   The first step is to genuinely recognize positive moments. There are probably dozens of things that bring you joy and inspiration. Yet, we often take them for granted, unlike the things that annoy or scare us.
   Noticing, recognizing, and focusing on these moments is a big deal. By doing so, you start forming new neural connections, which will only grow stronger over time.

2. Create positive experiences for yourself.
   However, just noticing isn’t enough. You can’t just wait for someone or something to make you happy—you need to create positive experiences yourself. Love going to the movies? Go by yourself, even if all your friends are busy. Explore what brings you more or less joy, and bring those things into your life.
   In reality, we can choose to create either sadness or joy for ourselves. It’s worth trying to see the power you hold.

3. Learn to absorb the positive.
   We can dwell on negative emotions for a long time, but we often let pleasant moments slip by quickly. Give your brain time to absorb and solidify positive experiences. Reflect on pleasant events, savor your memories, describe your feelings and physical sensations, and try to give them a sound, a scent, or simply a name. Make the practice of “savoring joyful moments” a regular habit so it becomes second nature.

Happiness and joy also have the ability to accumulate. We ourselves choose what fills our lives. It’s much more pleasant to live with a backdrop of joy, satisfaction, and quiet happiness.

Over time, your brain will rewire itself, and you’ll develop the ability to see the world more fully, appreciating its many shades. This makes life more interesting and easier.

If you need help with:

• Understanding and processing difficult emotions and feelings (shame, offense, guilt),
• Learning emotional intelligence,
• Restoring your connection with your feelings

You can reach out to me.