The busier we become, the more we steal time away from our “joy” time. If work demands more time and effort, chances are that our gym time will suffer, and when our kid has yet another tantrum, our desire to watch a movie or paint our toenails goes out the window … Does this sound familiar to you?

According to a study (Lewinshon, Munoz, Youngren and Zeiss, 1986), the first activities that get voted off a busy schedule are the ones that would actually make us feel better and less stressed in the long run. How is that for irony?

The more sad and depressed we feel, the lower self-esteem we have, resulting in doubt that all the things that previously lifted our spirits have the power to do so again. In the absence of these moments of joy and positive emotion, it becomes more and more difficult to separate ourselves from work, bill paying, and everyday routines.

Harvard economist Juliet Schor (1991) reported that when workers in an English factory had to give up their overtime hours due to the bad economy, they recovered both physically and mentally shortly after. Because of the new extra time they had on their hands, they started hanging out with their friends, and their zest for life returned. Money lost its close grip on their minds, and even the ones with bigger families to take care of found it thrilling that they had been given more time with their loved ones. Life was worth living!

Finding joy and happiness in our everyday lives is something we can learn to accept and implement. For many of us, it is not an automatic thought. More often than not, negative thoughts are quicker to arise than positive ones. Many times it is easier to eat sugar or drink alcohol to feel the chemical high of what seems like joy for a brief moment.

However, it is very possible to make a conscious choice to do things we truly love, to be with people we truly love, and to give ourselves permission to enjoy these things. When we give to ourselves, there is more for others to enjoy, too. We enter a good cycle of giving and receiving.

Maybe the challenge is to find the joy in all things possible? Most of all, I know that there is joy to be found in the freedom of self-love.

What makes you laugh, enjoy, and feel joy? How can you share these feelings and moments? Can you stop and smell the roses a little bit every day?

Sunny ideas:

• Never skip your work out

• Begin to feel, smell, taste again. Smile.

• Before you do an activity, visualize in your mind what it is going to look like. Let yourself know that no matter what happens, it will be good.

• Experience new things in progression, especially if you are nervous about them. Note that you have done a great job. Every time.

• Exchange “I should” for “I would like to”

Life is your gift – living it is your choice!

Live Life Loud!

Image: Robert S. Donovan