Joy in the perfectly ordinary
A few days ago, I read an article in Psychologies Magazine encouraging readers to notice the joy in the perfectly ordinary!
It piqued my interest immediately because I know how easy it is to miss those moments of joy, because of what scientists (and I) believe is our inbuilt negativity bias. That delightful bias which means we’re much more likely to notice things that aren’t going well than we are to notice those things that are.
We may have needed that negativity bias in the past as hunter gatherers when we had to be alert to danger in order to survive (a danger which wasn’t always real but it was better to respond as if it was because, on the occasion that the sabre toothed tiger lurked, it was better to flee than to risk the alternative!)
Our lives are much less likely to be at risk now and we can soften around our experiences and focus on the good! In fact, when we do this, it starts to make changes in our brain which means we’re more likely to notice the happy moments in future.
I’m enjoying taking part in the 100 days of joy challenge. For 100 days I am taking a photo of ordinary everyday joyfulness. Here’s my first photo from this week! Making this intention has meant I’m looking out for the ordinary joy around me! I’m feeling more energised and happier which has boosted my wellbeing.
Importantly, when we're always alert to danger, to the things that might go wrong, we suffer with overwhelm and stress and we can't think creatively when that happens. If we practice noticing more joy we'll feel more energised, happier and perform better in our work and home lives, whatever that looks like for you! It's a win/win!
UPDATED 21 August 23
I did this challenge for 16 days because I noticed a couple of things!
1) I love soaking up moments of joy everyday and I do this regularly anyway. Since starting '100 days of joy' I've grabbed my phone to photograph those moments and doing that takes me away from the moment. The moment becomes about the photo and as a result I've lost that moment to enjoy. There's a striving and a judging in it too which doesn't support my happiness.
2) When I post more on social media, I check it more regularly. There's an attachment to it which takes me away from the real moments of my day. I'll still post occasionally (I'm still me) but I won't feel the need to do it everyday. That's better for me!
I'm still committed to noticing joy every day because it really is all around us if we just open our eyes and senses and notice it. I'm going to soak up those moments instead of aiming to capture and share the perfect shot!
