How to find joy in the hard times is a critical skillset worth developing in this present darkness. As sure as the sun rises and sets each day, you will have periods in your life when things are just not going your way. In reality, life is basically a constant fluctuation of emotional highs and lows. It can sometimes feel like you’re on a rollercoaster ride.
While most of our time is spent in the fairly even, mundane state of emotional normalcy and ho-humness, this state of being is broken up by the peaks of the best of times and unfortunately, the valleys of the rough times.
Most of us don’t look for information on how to deal with the best moments of our lives, but the minute something goes wrong we’re blowing up the internet. Today we are living in very troubled times, a pandemic has basically taken over most of the world, and people are being affected in many profound and very real ways.
It seems like what we have to do to get through this pandemic is based on suffering and pain, it’s just the nature of the beast. Isolation, fear, facing the unknown, grief and loss can strip of us our joy and may lead to depression.
While you cannot control what happens outside your door, you CAN control yourself. There are things you can do to maintain a positive and even joyful mindset.
In this discussion, we are going to talk about three tips for doing just that.
Surround Yourself With The Right People
It is often said that we are the sum total of the five people we surround ourselves with most often. If that is the case, making sure you get the right people around you, especially when going through a difficult period, is critical to hold on to your joy. Often times when life is really beating us up, we retreat into the solitude of our home, wanting to throw the covers of our heads and be left alone with our thoughts.
Make no mistake; sometimes periods of solitude are healthy and necessary. Right now, isolation is the norm as we fight through this health crisis. However, when you find yourself in a really low spot, robbed of your joy, connecting with those who make you happy is critical.
Although it may seem obvious in concept, avoiding people who have the opposite effect can sometimes be the real battle. Negative individuals are especially important to keep out of your life when you are already struggling to find joy in the midst of the storm.
You can stay connected during Shelter In Place orders when you are isolating at home to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Thankfully, technology has us covered.
- Face Time on iPhones and Video calls on Android
- Skype
- A simple phone call
- Text
- Zoom and other video conferencing software can bring together friends and family while staying safe and following health official’s orders.
- Good old-fashioned letter writing
Remember That Nothing Is Permanent
“THIS TOO SHALL PASS”
Nothing in life is permanent. Fortunately, nothing in life is permanent! Let’s state that again, this will pass.
During periods of extreme happiness and joy, thinking about the temporary nature of each season in life is not something we like to dwell on.
On the contrary, keeping this truth in mind during low times can be very helpful. Whatever you are going through, no matter how bad it may be, it WILL pass.
In fact, most of the difficult times you experience in life will end without any extra effort on your part. It is so easy to get into the mentality that we have to put forth an immense amount of effort to make something bad go away.
Even though this is sometimes the case, most of the time, TIME is the only remedy for tough situations. If you want to maximize your joy during difficult times, remember that your situation is not the way things are, only the way they are RIGHT NOW.
Strengthen Your Inward Self
Since we have discussed how life is divided into highs and lows and the fact that nothing will last forever, this leads to another thing to keep in mind during the best AND the worst periods. It is vitally important that you find ways to strengthen yourself as you find joy in the tough times.
This may seem selfish in times of struggle, but the truth is that self-care and preservation are not selfish at all, especially during this time of overwhelming struggle. The more you remain mentally grounded and physically strong, the more you will find joy and strengthen those closest to you.
If you want to have joy on a consistent basis, your joy absolutely cannot be dictated by your circumstances. You may already “know” this, but now is the time to practice it.
If you let every good thing that happens to you leave you soaring on cloud nine and every negative situation send you crashing to earth, you will go through life in a state of emotional exhaustion! Stable, consistent, sustainable joy can be created and found within yourself.
Life is far less about what happens to you than it is about how you react to it. You are in charge of how you feel. Don’t fall into the routine of letting happiness get to your head and not to your heart.
Final thoughts
Finally, history has taught us that adversity can also provide a wealth of opportunities. Right now we have a lot of adversity, but if we just sit around dwelling on all the bad news, we can waste a valuable opportunity to use the time we have at home in a quality way. We cannot control the outside world, but we can control what we do, and how we think and respond.
As always,
Be well + stay safe + prosper,
Elaine xx