In today’s fast-paced and demanding world, many times we find ourselves struggling to find joy in life again.
Whether it’s due to stress, burnout, or simply feeling stuck in a rut, finding joy in life again can seem like an elusive goal.
However, there are proven strategies that can help you feel joy again and find fulfillment in your everyday life.
You may have had a traumatic experience such as:
- A loved one is sick or deceased
- Problems or complications at work or home
- Financial hardships and debt
- Heartbreaking relationships
Or you may experience a lack of meaning in your everyday life that may feel like:
- Sadness
- Loneliness
- Worry
- Anxiety
- Stressful busyness
- Emptiness
Moreover, I have experienced all of these situations at different points in my life.
If you want to find out more about how I changed my life and became happy and how you can do it too, check out my book: Turn Your Happiness On.
Let’s explore effective techniques and practical advice on how to find joy in life again.
If you’re ready to take steps towards a more joyful and fulfilling life, keep reading!
Why is it Important to Find Joy in Life?
Finding joy in life is not just a luxurious indulgence; it is essential for our overall well-being and happiness.
When we experience joy, our mental, emotional, and physical health improves. It boosts our immune system, reduces stress, and increases our resilience to life’s challenges.
Not only does joy enhance our own personal happiness, but it also positively impacts our relationships with others.
When we are joyful, we radiate positivity and uplift those around us.
Additionally, finding joy in life allows us to appreciate the present moment and find purpose and meaning in our daily experiences.
What are the Obstacles to Finding Joy in Life Again?
In our journey to finding joy in life again, it is important to recognize and address the obstacles that may be preventing us from experiencing positive feelings of joy.
These obstacles can vary from person to person, but common ones include stress, negative thinking patterns, and a lack of self-care.
Stress, whether from work, relationships, or other sources, can consume our lives and steal our joy.
It is crucial to identify the sources of stress and find healthy ways to manage and reduce it. This might include practicing relaxation techniques, setting boundaries, or seeking support from loved ones or professionals.
Negative thinking patterns such as self-doubt and pessimism can also hinder our ability to find joy.
It takes effort to challenge and change these patterns, but with practice, we can cultivate a more positive and optimistic mindset.
Surrounding ourselves with positive influences, practicing self-compassion, and engaging in gratitude exercises can help shift our perspective.
Lastly, neglecting self-care can leave us feeling drained and empty.
Taking care of our physical, mental, and emotional needs is vital for experiencing joy.
This may involve activities such as exercise, meditation, hobbies, or spending time with loved ones. Making self-care a priority sends a message to ourselves that we deserve happiness and joy.
By recognizing and addressing these obstacles, we can pave the way for a more joyful and fulfilling life.
It is important to remember that finding joy is a process and requires patience and self-compassion.
Embrace the journey and know that through perseverance and a willingness to change, happiness can be rediscovered.
So, let this be your reminder that joy is not a frivolous pursuit but a fundamental necessity for a fulfilling and truly happy life.
How to Find Joy in Life Again: 10 Easy Steps
Don’t anticipate to feel ecstatic and excited every single day but you should expect to feel an overall sense of contentment about your life most of the time.
Realizing that you frequently feel more negative than positive emotions is a signal that it may be time for some changes in your life.
1 – Write it Down
On a piece of paper or your screen, write everything that comes to your mind.
If you are wondering how to find joy in life again you need to let go of all the negative messages that your mind has learned such as, I am not:
- good enough
- worthy
- lovable
- smart
- beautiful
With this in mind, schedule ten or fifteen minutes of uninterrupted writing time. Don’t worry about grammar, punctuation, or capitalization.
Get everything that is on your mind onto the paper.
This will help you to feel more relaxed and calm as the voices in your head won’t be so loud anymore.
Moreover, practice this step every time you feel overwhelmed by all the noise in your head.
Here are more tips on how writing can make you happy.
Finding joy in life again is not a one-time fix, but an ongoing process that requires commitment to self-reflection.
It’s important to frequently evaluate your thoughts, behaviors, and choices to ensure they align with your values and bring you joy.
Take the time each day to write down your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. This can help you gain insight into patterns, triggers, and areas of your life that may need attention.
2 – Take a Break
When we are upset because something did not work out as expected, we have a tendency of thinking and overthinking about the same situation over and over again.
Our mood reflects our thoughts. If we are feeling sad it’s because our mind is focusing on a sad incident or occurrence in our lives.
In addition, we hope that thinking and thinking about the same issue such as an emotional or physical trauma or stressor will eventually offer an insight to the problem and we will be able to solve it.
However, if you have been overthinking a problem or issue for many days or even weeks, take a break. We need to interrupt the cycle of negative feelings if we want to find joy in life again.
Take a break to distract yourself. Do something that you enjoy and that will get you out of your repeated thinking pattern. You may:
- Talk to a friend
- Visit a nice place
- Watch a movie
- Read a book
- Listen to music
If you want to find joy in life again make sure that the activity you choose will keep your full attention for at least 20 minutes.
Also, involve as many senses as possible (sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste) to keep your full attention on the task.
My favorites are:
- Gardening
- Cooking
- Listening to an audiobook while cleaning or organizing a small area
After your mind had a break from the constant thinking about the same issue, you will be able to look at the problem from a different point of view.
3 – Take Care of Yourself
Sometimes we neglect taking care of ourselves because we think it is selfish. However, self-care is important for our physical and mental health.
Taking care of yourself produces positive feelings. This will increase your confidence and self-esteem.
Make sure you get enough sleep, eat healthy food, exercise, relax, and become more mindful.
Here are self-care tips to be happy.
4 – Spend Time in Places you Enjoy
A research study from Ohio State University showed that office workers in an old building with low ceilings and loud air conditioners were significantly more stressed than office workers in a new space with skylights and open cubicles.
What is a place that makes you feel good the moment you walk in?
I love going to a library because:
- It is quiet and full of books
- Interesting information is displayed on boards
- You can sit, read, relax, or write in different areas
- There are open programs and activities at your fingertips
Think about a place that you consider beautiful or that makes you happy. It could be a:
- Museum full of art
- Park with plants and trees
- Quiet church
- Cozy coffee shop
- Library full of books
- Garden with plants and flowers
- Favorite restaurant
- Beach, lake or river
- Hiking trail
At first, I thought that our home should be the place that we enjoy the most.
However, our home is full of reminders of what we should do such as clutter, dirty dishes, or unorganized areas, and this will trigger negative emotions.
If you are not able to go to a place that makes you feel good, surround yourself with pictures, books, or decorations that make you happy.
Going for a few hours to a beautiful place that you love will help you find joy in life again.
5 – Go for a Walk
Feeling the sunshine, breathing fresh air, and observing trees and plants will give you a sense of peace and possibilities.
A short walk will make you feel energized and relaxed. Moreover, walking helps improve circulation and the oxygen flow to the brain.
In addition, brisk walking boosts endorphines, a neurochemical that boosts your mood and self-esteem.
Furthermore, while you walk focus on your breathing as you inhale and exhale every two steps. This will help your mind to focus on the here and now instead of wandering into the past or the future.
The movement of your body in a beautiful scenery will send the message to your mind that it’s time to change your mood to happy.
6 – Appreciate the Good Things in Your Life
Even if you feel overwhelmed or sad, look around and inside you for reasons to be thankful.
For example, say kind words to yourself and others, appreciate everything that you love in your life, and intently look for opportunities to appreciate what you have.
Here are more tips on how to be happy by practicing gratitude.
7 – Explore Your Interests
Ask yourself what would you like to learn more about? What piques your curiosity?
Discovering your interests will give you something interesting to do and change your mood to happy.
Therefore, exploring, learning, and engaging in activities that involve your interests and curiosity activates parts of your brain that releases feel good neurotransmitters.
Engaging and spending more time doing interesting activities is an easy way to feel joy in your life again.
8- Consider Your Options
To find joy in your life again, it’s important to consider your options. Is there anything that you can do to change the situation?
In addition, taking a good look at what we can do and what we cannot do provides relief.
We don’t have the power to change another person, we only can change ourselves. We can do the best to show the other person how wonderful we are but then it’s up to the other person to want to start or continue a relationship.
Here are more tips on how to be happy alone even if you want a relationship.
Instead of just thinking about your options, it may be helpful to write them down so you can go back to them later.
9 – Make a Plan
What will do you next time when you feel like there should be more joy in your life? What is the easiest way to change your mood to happy?
Here are some suggestions but make sure you write your own list and keep it handy.
- Listen to music
- Move and go for a walk
- Read a book
- Talk to someone you love
- Spend some time at a place that makes you happy
- Watch a movie or video
Here is my list of 10 ways that change my mood to happy the fastest:
- Spend time in the garden noticing how plants and flowers are growing
- Pull weeds
- Go for a walk with my dog
- Play with my dog
- Experiment with new recipes in the kitchen
- Clean and organize a small area
- Listen to music
- Watch funny videos
- Ask my kids to tell me something funny about their day
- Read a book
10 – Act on Your Plan
Once you know your options, it’s time to decide what actions you will take.
Make a list of all the possible actions that come to your mind.
What will change your mood to happy is not so much a specific action but being at peace with whatever you decide to do.
Deciding to do nothing is different from not doing anything because we cannot make up our mind.
Keep in mind that doing something makes us feel better than doing nothing. So choose one thing to do to feel better.
Start with something easy and fun.
What activities did you try to find joy in life again?
Let me know in the comments below.
Taking care of yourself and making plans to move forward are so important in life. Thank you for writing this!
It is very hard to start living again once something bad happens. I remember how devastated I was after loosing the most important person in my life, suddenly. It took me a good 6 months so start being able to live again… I didn’t think about the future at all… it was painful to even go to the cemetery. And I didn’t give myself any breaks, I thought it would be unfair to enjoy life…
Great tips! I am a great believer in getting it out! Write it down, talk it out – just make sure it’s not in your head where it can tangle and grow.
I can speak on losing a loved one. My fiance passed away unexpectedly about two years ago and I still feel the effects of it. It just takes time. Nothing you can do to speed up the process.
These are all such great tips. When I get overwhelmed by stress, eking our things that bring me joy is so helpful.
Going for a walk always helps me feel good. These are great tips to help lift your mood.
I’ll keep these in mind. I do always try to focus on the positive in life. I find being negative takes too much energy. I love reading books to clear my mind!
I love all of these tips. I am pretty sure I did all of these in relation to my struggles. A couple that I added were spending more time with my kids and finding a support group who understood my struggle.
When something bad happens it can throw you off, you feel lost! It’s important to remember it’s ok not to be ok. I love the tips you have shared, really helpful!
This is such an awesome list! I think no. 4 is very true. I feel refreshed and full of joy whenever I go spend time in a place I enjoy: the beach. Thanks for sharing this!
If it is one important lesson I have learned in life is that dwelling on the negative does not enhance anyone’s life. Going for walks frequently and making a plan to become positive really does help.
This is such an uplifting post. I’ve had some heartbreak this year, and I really needed to read this. Thank you.
My mom always told me if I’m down or scared or depressed to change my perspective and that has helped me.
Even the simplest word of joy that we need can be difficult to attain, there are times that we are more focused on the difficulty of life and setting aside ways to be happy. I am glad to come across this post and rethink things.
Reading a book, exercising, or just getting outside all work for me. When I was younger, it was music that would take me away and refresh my soul!
Getting over a tough times takes time. Only time can heal the process. These are all beautiful tips to help someone going through a tough time.
Going for a walk always seems to help me. So does writing. And it’s very important to take care of yourself throughout the process. Nicely written.
I love this because I struggled a lot with some hardships last year! Great post!
I always find for me and my daughters, the best way to change a foul mood is some sunshine. We try to sneak outside whenever feeling blue.
This is so timely. I was just wondering why I was feeling so down lately. Prolly the weather? Maybe. Anyway, reading definitely lifts up my mood. Baking too.
Yep, I’ve done at least one of these things when I’ve been in a bad mood and it always helps. I find that the solution seems to depend greatly on the thing that’s bothering me. When I feel too stressed, going for a walk helps. When I’m exhausted I like to read.
These are so smart and helpful! I think being in places and around people who make you happy helps so much!
There are some really good tips here for sure…I deffo find writing things down and taking a break helps for sure xx
I’ve been through a lot of things made me sad, but I always manage to get out of it. Getting ourselves busy during these days and moments are very important. You have great tips.
Wonderful tips! I think writing your feelings down helps you to express what you are going through and you can share them with someone you trust.