In my morning wake up routine, I always do some mindful meditation, and today my mindful time focused on joy, and using joy to alleviate stress and anxiety.

In the guided meditation I was following it was labelled as Joy Building, and this resonated with me — after a stressful week where my head was full of the issues causing this stress it was possible to shift my headspace and think about the joyful experiences that happened, rather than the things making me feel anxious and stressed. 

If we can turn the sound up on joy, it starts to silence the anxiety and stress. The things that bring us joy, fun, enjoyment help to produce endorphins and dopamine that counterbalance the negative feelings and build barriers against the stresses of our lives. 

Of course we can’t banish the stresses and seriousness of some of the issues that cause anxiety completely, but what we can do is build up some consistency with what brings us joy. Engaging with the things that bring us pleasure, the pastimes that bring us fun and joy, spending time with people we love and who make us laugh. Creating routines/habits that give us this opportunity, making it a conscious decision to build more joy into our lives, making it align with our values, purpose and priorities helps to build up our resistance to stress.

It’s not that we are trying to ignore the negativity that stress can bring, but by building and creating positive, joyful habits, we are developing our resilience so we can deal with the stressors and anxiety from a stronger base.

Start to think about what brings a smile to your face, a walk, have pictures of your grandchildren, children, your dog or cat at your desk, art, crafts, dancing, music — make habits based around these activities and feel the inner strength this gives you.

Have a great week everyone, keep moving, feeling and looking good,

Jane xx