Three Ways to Create More Joy in Your Life!

Lasting joy is only rarely the product of one single event, mostly the kind of joy that keeps us going; through the good times and the not so good; is to be found in the small things.

When life has ground you down; and you are a human being who lives with other human beings on this beautiful planet of ours, so sometimes it will; it can be tricky to muster the energy for a huge energy shifting activity but you also know that you want to begin to create that shift. 

A little smile goes a long way! 

My go to joy sparking, energy igniting moves are tiny little things that I know will make me smile. Things that make us smile are hugely important because smiling can cause your body to release endorphins that can reduce blood pressure, reduce pain, increase endurance and perhaps most importantly in this context, boost your mood!

One of the most sure fire ways to raise a smile when you are down and low on energy, is to seek out some brilliant stand up comedians, funny films or silly sitcoms. @drybarcomedy is one of my favourite places to find incredible new comedians and they never fail to lift my spirits. Set yourself a time limit though or use it as a reward system, watch 20 mins of comedy then go get a certain task done, then come back for some more if you need a ‘feel good’ top up.

There is joy in colour!

It may not come as a great surprise that the colour yellow has a huge capacity to make people smile, so even something as simple as treating yourself to an inexpensive (or even free – time to get busy with the gardening – more about that another time!) bunch of yellow flowers for your home can really lift your spirits and keep on lifting them every time you pass those beautiful little rays of sunshine.

Fun fact: Our brains actually release more serotonin when we are surrounded by the colour yellow and serotonin helps to stabilise our mood and promote feelings of happiness and well being. So if you are serious about finding more joy then get some yellow into your life!

Wave your hands in the air like you just don’t care!

Someone told me years ago that it is really hard to stay glum if you raise your arms above your head and wave them around. 

I’ve also been told that this action can lower cortisol (stress hormone) levels. 

Now I’m not sure if either of these assertions were based in fact but I do know that when life gets you down and you really want to turn it around, few things will shift your energy quite like whacking on an upbeat song and dancing around the room singing along and waving your arms in the air with complete abandon. 

You can go for whatever songs make you happy, but incase you are stuck for inspiration, here are a few of my favourite pick me up tunes: 

‘It’s Raining Men’ by The Weather Girls 

‘Bat Out of Hell’ by Meatloaf

‘Voulez Vous Coucher Avec Moi’ by Lady Marmalade 

these always get me up and dancing, which gets those endorphins flowing. If you have some fail safe, always get you up and dancing tunes, then use those, if not, then borrow mine until you find or remember your own.

And finally!

There are so very many ways to bring more joy into your life. 

One great way to identify them is to take some time to be still and let your mind wander to things that have made you happy in the past or things that you only need to think of to feel a little lift in your spirits. Perhaps walking barefoot in the grass, cooking a delicious meal whilst dancing around your kitchen to a long forgotten favourite album or simply curling up with your pet or a comforting cuddly toy and watching a great movie or getting completely lost in an uplifting book. Feed your soul regularly on the things that make you feel alive and you will reap the rewards of ever increasing moments of joy in your life.

If you would like some support in finding ways to invite more joy into your life then message me on facebook or instagram

Sending you LOVE & HUGS & wishing you JOY TODAY & ALWAYS, Beth xxx