The simple way to practise joy
Since announcing the rebranding and new vision for this newsletter last week, some people said how needed this is in their lives and, at the same time, how difficult it is to be joyful when everything seems to point in the direction of doom.
So this week I'm sharing a simple exercise you can practise every day to shift your attention to joy.
Yes, because I have to tell you, it's all about where you choose to focus and how much time you spend thinking about negative and scary facts.
The more you focus on joy and positivity, the more you will encounter them in your life. It's a system our brains put in place to filter reality to the bits we pay more attention to - since we can't possibly fully elaborate the hundreds of thousands of daily pieces of information we get bombarded with.
The exercise consists of looking around and focusing, in turn, on five things you like or love that you can see, taste, smell, hear, touch or feel. As an example:
- Right now, I'm writing while walking on my walking pad. I really like my desk walking pad - it makes me feel alert and active while still working.
- I'm drinking my after-lunch double espresso - I love my coffee - the aroma, the smell... heaven.
- And I'm writing this newsletter. It's one of my favourite activities of the week - truly 💚
- In a corner of the room, there is the Christmas tree the kids and I decorated a few days ago, as part of one of the most solid and heartwarming traditions we have established in this household: while singing Christmas songs, with Christmas hats on, and followed by a sofa dinner with homemade pizza and a movie.
- Finally, I love that today the light outside is a very special shade of warm pink - even though it's December.
I focused for a few seconds on each of these lovely things that surround me (enough to get into that joyful mindset), and I now feel better because of it.
Try it and let me know how it goes!
This article was originally written for the Green Gorilla weekly newsletter. If you liked it, subscribe to receive more articles like this and learn how to communicate sustainability better, how to be more productive without selling your soul to the work devil, and how to make an impact in the world. Here is the link: https://newsletter.thegreengorilla.co.uk/