I want to briefly share with you three quick ways that you can boost your mood and actually bring about more joy. This might seem like a strange and somewhat selfish topic during this time of social, racial, financial and health crisis. But I think this is precisely the time that we need to promote our own joy.
Why you might be asking?
Joy is defined as the emotion of great delight, keen pleasure, or deep satisfaction evoked by well-being. We all need to nurture our well-being, in order to meaningfully engage with others.
So, here a 3 very simple ways to nurture your well-being and increase your joy.
1. Add bright color
Add a pop of color! It doesn’t really matter where you add it, as long as it somewhere you can see it. And secondly it should be a color that elicits a delightful smile. Here are some examples;
- a couple of bright orange pillow on your couch
- a new journal with an happy yellow cover
- Or that deeply hued lime green
- Grab that top in the back of your closet and put in on (actually anything other than those drab sweatpants we’ve all been in for the last few months).
I bring up the lime green top because I was recently wearing one during a zoom meeting.
Not only does this color closely associated with nature and confidence and really high energy, it also promotes a feeling of liveliness and creativity. This was evident not only by the way it made me feel when I had it on but also by the participants’ smiles and commenting on how great the color actually made them feel.
So, go shopping around your house, rearrange some things, and look for some color. Try it on or try it out in your daily space and see how it works.
2. Watch your Breath
OK, for the second tip. This one is actually even more simple, and I probably should have mentioned it first. This is a mindfulness technique. You accomplish this by focusing on your breath. What you want to do is breathe deeply into your belly through your nose and exhale slowly through your mouth. Try to exhale twice as long as you inhale, don’t worry, it takes practice.
Want in on a little secret, well it’s not really a secret it’s actually research. Just two minutes of focusing on your breath like this increases your positivity in the present. In his book the Happiness Advantage by Shaun Anchor, he argues that this positivity increases your energy, your creativity, and your cognitive ability. All that for only two minutes of watching your breath. Of course, it also helps you calm down when you are anxious or overwhelmed.
So, use this breathing technique throughout the day when needed.
3. Just Dance!
The final tip I want to share is really fun. Dancing together immerses us in the present moment, and activates brain pathways that produce and release feel-good, trust-boosting substances. In particular, the role that four neurochemicals Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, and Endorphins play in dancing together tells the story of why a regular dose of dancing not only feels good but is also good for you. Radha Agrawal, Co-Founder, CEO, & Chief Community Architect of Daybreaker, the global dance movement, coined the shorthand DOSE to highlight these four substances and the positive benefits she identified through her extensive research on the science of dance and community for her book, BELONG.
Here is to more JOY!