In the article The Difference Between Happiness and JOY, I discuss the meaning behind the two words, how they're often treated interchangeably in English, and how knowing just how different they are will help us to create more of both.
In short, happiness is the result of happy luck or circumstance - happy happenstance. It is a state of being that can come and go. Joy, on the other hand, emerges from a deep well of love, connection, and lightness that is non-conditional and lasting.
This is the balance I seek to create for you in every Go Love Yourself box I send to GLY members. We know that when we provide ourselves with thought provoking books, journaling prompts, mindfulness practices and community in concert with worldly comforts like tea, chocolate, hot baths and candles, we are inviting ourselves to create the conditions for immediate happiness while laying the foundation for longterm joy and wellbeing.
Need more ideas for cultivating happiness and joy?
Here are 18 ways to cultivate happiness and joy in your life!
- Go for a walk and marvel at the beauty of nature
- Think happy thoughts and support from a mental health professional
- Practice gratitude for what you have and all the good that exists in the world
- Meditate to get a quiet moment in a chaotic day and to cultivate equanimity in difficult times
- Join a friend for some retail therapy and declutter to donate what you no longer need
- Carve out time for a movie marathon and time to play and create
- Buy a fancy new camera and revisit old photos to reminisce
- Treat yo self to a fancy seasonal latte and savor in the delight of every sugary sip
- Call your biggest cheerleader and give someone who might be lonely a ring
- Splurge on a new kitchen gadget and invite friends over for a simple potluck dinner
- Buy yourself fresh flowers and then plant perennials for next spring
- Push yourself to get a great sweat going in spin class and relax in gentle yin or nidra yoga
- Upgrade to a weighted, lavender sleep mask and allow yourself a full nine hours in bed
- Snuggle with a four legged friend and volunteer at the local animal shelter
- Throw yourself a birthday party and throw yourself an "I did it!" party
- Make a list of reasons to be happy and make a list of people that bring you joy
- Give yourself a whole day to read and remind yourself that you needn't earn the right to rest
- Visit with positive friends and family you love and leave behind surprise love notes for them to find later
Which of these have you tried? Did they bring you happiness, or joy, or both? Leave your thoughts and tips for others in the comments below!