Joy and Gratitude
Joy is one of the most vulnerable emotions we can feel. It is hard to sustain the feeling of joy in your body for an extended period of time. You may start feeling joy (expansion of the chest, warmth, smile, softening) and then the next second you’re wondering what horrific thing is going to happen next, and your body clenches up. This is called foreboding joy.
Sometimes I look at one of my three beautiful cats and I am filled with utter and complete love and joy, and then a second later I am freaking out about the possibility of them getting sick and dying. Sound familiar? This is the negativity bias at work. The brain’s way of making sure you are safe. The brain is constantly scanning for a threat.
The best way to handle that negativity bias when it rears its ugly head, while you are trying to bask in joy, is to practice gratitude. Gratitude is not simply a feeling; it is truly a practice. I love this because it empowers you. It means you have some agency over whether you feel joy or not.
Dr. Brené Brown says it so well:
“It is not the joyful people who are grateful; it is the grateful people who are joyful.”
Gratitude practice can look like writing down three things you are grateful for in the morning, or writing your gratitude for the day at the close of the day. You could share a gratitude moment with your friend or partner; there is power in being witnessed. You could create a gratitude jar and write down the things you are grateful for on post-it notes and then read
them when you are having a hard moment.
What are you grateful for today? Take a moment to give this some thought and notice if you start to feel a little more joyful. Share your gratitude in the comments. Also, let us know what your gratitude practices are.
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