How I Add Joy To My Life
There’s no shying away from the fact that the world right now is a difficult place to exist. Sometimes, it feels like there’s no coming up for air from the endless news headlines reporting terrible crimes, ongoing genocide, climate catastrophe in motion. And yet, it’s possible to find pockets of joy. It is. My nearly-10 year long series – ‘Open-hearted joys’ – captures little joys from my everyday mundane. It was a tiny bit more groundbreaking when I began the series in 2016 and, now, romanticising our lives is part and parcel of surviving whatever the heck is going on in 2025.
Scroll for just five seconds on Instagram or TikTok and you’ll see a video of somebody’s little joys. Cast your attention to Substack and you’ll find (me and) endless essays about how big of a difference looking for little things makes.
To be honest, sometimes that isn’t quite enough. I know what it’s like to look around oneself on a hard day and try in vain to find something good. Sometimes, you’re down enough that a ray of sunshine or a really good cup of tea doesn’t hit the spot. Really, that’s more normal than I’ve made it sound, or than the entire Internet is making it seem recently.
In order to ward off the anxiety, negativity and overarching sadness of 2025, here are a few ways that I’ve been adding joy to my life lately…
Prioritising my health and wellbeing
Without a doubt, looking after myself first has been the biggest game-changer. Whether that’s noticing I’m more tired than usual and rescheduling grand plans to do four loads of laundry, or making sure I’m getting plenty of outdoors time in nature, I feel miles better when I’m in tune with myself. It doesn’t completely stave off feelings of fear and anxiety, but it helps. I can only put the best of myself into Good Things when I feel good too.
Slow down
It’s completely bizarre to be working away, sending Teams messages, when there’s so much going on in the world. So, acknowledge that. Slow things down just a touch and let your mind think about things for a moment before ploughing onto the next thing. I’ve realised that I hadn’t been putting out my best work, because I was too eagerly thinking about what was ahead. Being present in the moment and space is really important.
Leaning into the silly little things
Life is serious enough without stripping the silliness out of it too. Nothing makes me happier at the moment than Eddie and I’s silly little contest to see who can make the bed in the strangest-but-done way possible. Or self-implementing the idea that I can’t ‘just’ play a game for 15 minutes, the others would get jealous. Or plating my lemon parsley linguine in three little nests to make a Mickey Mouse on the dish. Or constantly pranking and scaring each other around the house.
Happy hour with my dog
There’s simply nothing more joyful than spending time with my dog. Switching the TV off, putting my phone aside, and playing hide-and-seek or fetch with Milo brings me SO much happiness that I could cry. Milo loves to sunbathe, so I’ll often even just have him lazing in the garden with me as I water the plants and do a little grounding.
Make the everyday (extra)ordinary
I often think that romanticising the everyday can seem hard. We don’t always have endless hours to make breakfast feel like you’re at a hotel, or to add a pretty flourish to things. But, never underestimate the power of placing some £3 supermarket flowers in a vase to spruce up the kitchen. In turn, consider how great it feels when you sit down with dinner after a long day. Why not add a beautiful tablecloth and placemats? Cut vegetables in a sweet shape? You’ll be making dinner anyway, so why not make the everyday ordinary feel extraordinary? I love to eat breakfast outdoors, plate up my ‘leftovers lunch’ properly, and create a delicious dinner from scratch. When I settle down to watch TV or read my book, I’ll light a candle and cut fresh fruit to eat from a pretty plate. If I’m enjoying an Everything Shower, I’ll pop a playlist on to suit. I’ll turn a laundry folding session into a moment of presence, taking care to fold my clothes and store them away properly instead of shoving things in drawers.
