Joy

The next daily task on my son's planner is 'Joy'.  I put a smiley face next to it as a prompt to do something that makes him happy.  My son is pretty good at spending time doing things that he enjoys but on more stressful days or when he's had a full day of college or appointments, he can sometimes forget to make space for his interests.  

We all need a balance in our daily activities. How often do we sleep, work, tidy up, take the rubbish out and so many other chores but forget to find joy in our day or simply don't prioritise it (I'm guilty too!).  Joy doesn't have to be an event or something you go to but can be as simple as finding joy in the little things such as noticing pretty flowers on a walk or sharing a joke with a friend and laughing together (online or in person).  

When we have moments of 'joy' in our day, and take time to notice them, it often leads to a feeling of gratitude.  There is growing evidence about the benefits of gratitude journalling where you notice and note down moments of gratitude in your day.  Noticing little moments of joy can be part of this.  

I've used the word joy on my son's planner but I could have used other words which captures a similar meaning such as: hobby; what makes you happy; your passions; flow activity (flow means when you get so engrossed in an activity that you lose track of time) or I could have named specific activities such as 'retro gaming' which he really enjoys.  

I have created a 'joy community' sticker to use on my social media pages to highlight little moments of joy that I have noticed (joy is of course subjective to each individual).  By sharing some of my joyful moments, I hope to inspire you to find joy in your day too.  What brings you joy?  Please feel free to share in the comments below.

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