How do you find joy when the world seems to be crumbling around you?
It’s been a tough year with three deaths in the family, my rights as a woman rolled back (and under assault), and the world devolving into a state of strife. While my personal life is fulfilling, the burdens from the outside have taken their toll. I began mourning for humanity 2,609 days ago and expect the count to continue. Determined to return to my historically sunny disposition living within this new norm (Worldview shift anyone?), because stress kills, I searched for a new path forward.
Many common suggestions for increasing happiness are already part of my daily routine. I exercise regularly, get plenty of sleep, enjoy nature, live in a place with copious sunshine, and revel in small pleasures. But when you are surrounded by strife and feel under attack, your nerves fray and more is needed to maintain an even balance.
I’ve often looked to books for answers. Within those two thousand days, I contacted a professor with an enlightening video about the importance of reading the classics. He explained how the ideas presented in these works built on and expanded themes from prior masterpieces. I explained my malaise and requested a recommendation. He suggested War and Peace as translated by Paver and Volokhonsky. After two years, I have yet to finish the first chapter. This classic may help to understand our current social upheaval, but it’s incredibly dense, and its primary success was to put me to sleep.
I returned to some old favorites: Ten Percent Happier by Harris and Destructive Emotions: A Scientific Dialogue with the Dalai Lama by Goleman. I scoured the internet and re-listened to podcasts on the topic. From this, I decided to write more than one forgiveness letter, do daily loving kindness meditations, and create monthly funterventions (via The Happiness Lab podcast). Yes, I’m part of the one-third of the population who makes New Year’s Resolutions.
Then, my daughter posted her 2023 wrap-up:
- National parks visited: 6
- Books read: 78
- Flat tires: 1
- Days spent skiing: 41
- Countries visited: 13
- Bad decisions made: numerous
- States lived in: 4
- Fun had: incalculable
As an emergency room nurse, she cannot ignore the world’s pain and problems. But she’s embraced the teachings from my favorite mantra—the serenity prayer. By accepting the difference between what she can impact and what she has no control over, she relieved herself of the world’s stresses weighing her down.
One of the great joys of having children was learning from them. Born with high energy and independence, my daughter approached the world with a certain sense of abandonment. It’s from that perspective that she experiences and brings joy into her space. I decided to find ways to bring that abandon into my own life.
In some ways, this path felt like putting my head into the sand and ignoring the problems around me or accepting the decline without a fight. However, one of the fantastic outlets writing provides is the opportunity to address an issue overtly. I enjoyed doing this in my short story ‘Twas the Day After Christmas.
The power of writing is well known. Gratitude journals can have profound effects on mental states. Diaries or free writing to release emotion are other powerful tools. Ultimately, writing may be the best path for me to rediscover joy.
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