{"id":151724,"date":"2020-04-15T02:00:13","date_gmt":"2020-04-15T09:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/?p=151724"},"modified":"2020-08-05T22:34:23","modified_gmt":"2020-08-06T05:34:23","slug":"how-to-find-joy-in-any-situation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/how-to-find-joy-in-any-situation\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips to Find Joy in Any Situation, According to Therapists"},"content":{"rendered":"

Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl once said, \u201cWhen we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.\u201d In challenging times, this advice rings true. While there are many circumstances and situations we cannot control, joy is something we can choose and actively seek.<\/span><\/p>\n

As we are living in unprecedented times of a global pandemic, choosing joy is vital now more than ever. Here\u2019s what a few therapists had to say about staying hopeful and positive.<\/span><\/p>\n

Start your day off with gratitude
\n<\/b>“Spend time each morning in a state of gratitude. Be thankful for your blessings and train your brain to find the good in all situations. Point out all of the things that you have to be thankful for \u2014 a roof over your head, food in the pantry, a safe place, and family. Use this time to write in a journal and keep a log of what you are thankful for each day. On days when you don\u2019t feel particularly thankful, go back through your journal and read past entries. ”\u00a0\u2014\u00a0<\/span>Robyn Flint<\/a>, MS in clinical mental health counseling<\/p>\n

Relinquish your expectations
\n<\/b>“These are not normal times so don’t have normal expectations of yourself. Do not beat yourself up over how you are working from home. Allow yourself to just exist rather than achieve.\u201d \u2014 Jacqueline Shlain, associate marriage and family therapist (AMFT)<\/p>\n

Stay in the present moment
\n<\/b>\u201cJoy is about appreciating the moments, in the now, and being grateful for what is in front of us. Take a moment and make a list of what you do see now, what you do have now, and what you do appreciate now. It is as if the whole world is getting a lesson on pausing life and reflecting [on] what is important. The whole world is at home. Maybe even praying, meditating and evaluating everything in their lives.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u2014 Audrey Hope, D.D., certified addiction and trauma therapist, relationship expert<\/p>\n

Rest and nourish your body
\n<\/b>\u201cWe know that being tired makes us more vulnerable to worry, anxiety, and getting sick. These things can rob us of our joy. Recharge nightly for seven to nine hours. Make sure you are eating a balanced three meals and three healthy snacks and hydrating. Try to cut out the snacks and fridge visits.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u2014 Joseph Tropper, counselor, MS, LCPC, CCTP, CHT<\/p>\n

Don’t take yourself quite so seriously
\n<\/b>\u201cAllow yourself to laugh, play, and be silly. Our control is limited, and our ability to predict the future is less certain than ever. What we do have control over is our mindset, our response to stress, and our daily actions. Now is the most important time to balance the chaos and tragedy with laughter and play. Finding joy in the simplest things and keeping our spirits as high as we can for the sake of our own immune systems, our community, and all of humanity.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u2014 Bailey Bryant, clinical psychologist, Health Match 360<\/p>\n

Help someone else
\n<\/b>“Often the best source of finding joy is helping someone less fortunate than you are. Volunteer to bring food to an elderly person. Bake cookies and drop them off at a shelter. Check out community organizations to see if you can volunteer there.”\u00a0<\/span>\u2014 Dr. Kathryn Smerling, psychotherapist<\/p>\n

Get creative
\n<\/b>“Instead of spending all day inside watching TV, play games or take a run through the neighborhood (safely!). Staying productive and keeping your mind stimulated can help.”\u00a0<\/span>\u2014 Prairie Conlon, licensed mental health professional<\/p>\n

Move your body
\n<\/b>\u201cYou can find joy by working out, exercising, and doing yoga. Learn to be present while breathing and building flexibility and muscle. Put on a playlist that makes you feel relaxed, and move your body.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u2014 Katie Ziskind, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Owner of Wisdom Within Counseling\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Listen to your favorite music
\n<\/b>\u201cIt will help recall positive memories and research has shown that it can reduce anxiety and lower blood pressure, improve sleep quality and mood.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u2014 Stephanie Mihalas, licensed and board-certified psychologist and founder of The Center for Well-Being<\/p>\n

Be silly
\n<\/b>\u201cDo something playful and fun with your time, like playing a game with the people you are at home with or play dress-up during your Zoom hangouts. Have activities like this where you can let loose, be a little silly and have something to look forward to can help bring joy.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u2014 Danielle Selvin Harris, PSYD, LMFT<\/p>\n

Filter what you see and hear
\n<\/b>“Cut off the news, and throw out the newspapers. Take time away from the negativity, and create a place where the topic is different. This can help you feel a sense of normalcy. It\u2019s important to take steps to limit our mental exposure to negative news and focus the attention on what is right and good in the moment.”\u00a0<\/span>\u2014 Candida Wiltshire, MSW, LCSW<\/p>\n

Be kind to yourself
\n<\/b>\u201cWe spend a lot of time trying to live up to impossible standards, and we are often our biggest critic. Allow yourself the space to be present with your feelings, knowing it’s part of the human experience. Give yourself space to feel whatever it is you are feeling even if it’s for a moment and know that you are not alone.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u2014 Nikita Banks, LCSW, licensed psychotherapist<\/p>\n

xx, the FabFitFun team<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":"Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl once said, \u201cWhen we are no longer able to change a ...","author":7532780,"featured_media":152062,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4,260],"tags":[586],"thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/static.fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/15130254\/joy.png","thumbnail_url_middle_card":"https:\/\/static.fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/15130254\/joy-386x200.png","formated_date":"April 15, 2020","category_name":"Wellness","category_icon":"https:\/\/d3vodd1ws13xud.cloudfront.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/10113835\/health-2.svg","author_name":"Stephanie Taylor","trending":false,"sponsored":false,"random_color":"#ef62d5","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151724"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7532780"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=151724"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151724\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/152062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=151724"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=151724"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=151724"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}