Add a little joy

Helloooooo December!! I loved November NaBloPoMo so much that I’m doing it again (with modifications, for laziness and/or bouts of inspiration) for this month.

Our prompt for today is- What do you do when you’re down to bring yourself a little joy?

I love that the December theme is “joy.” While I know that “joy” is different than “happy,” I was having a hard time pinpointing how the two terms differ, so I decided to look of the exact definition. Merriam-Webster defines joy as:

the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires; delight
the expression or exhibition of such emotion
a state of happiness or felicity; bliss

Aha!! So many delicious words there- delight, felicity, bliss… Words I typically with chocolate commercials.

insert cheesy voice-over about bliss

What do I do to bring myself a little joy? (I don’t have to necessarily be “down” to want to get more joyful… )

-watch other people being joyful and sponge the energy! Especially during this time of year, taking my dogs for a walk in our downtown area is an immediate joy-boost. The little shops are all lit up, everyone is happily holding Starbucks red cups full of steaming goodness, storefronts and houses are decorated with trees and elves and deer and the like…

this is not our town, but it does look festive and joyful!

-Do something that I know will make someone else happy- plan a thoughtful gift for one of my family members, make an awesome dinner, de-clutter an area of the house that has been on my/our nerves, ect. Focusing on the joy that person will feel automatically brings me joy.

-Do something that I’ve been dreading/procrastinating. Generally, this means cleaning. I wasn’t going to include this one, but what I feel afterwards (delight, bliss) falls into my definition of joy, so it’s fair game.

-When all else fails, puppy videos on youtube. I’m not suggesting that pure procrastination brings joy, but literally laughing out loud for a few minutes is one of the most effective ways to switch a mood. Guaranteed.