3 Simple Ways to Elevate Joy in Life

We all have tasks that need to be completed that we may not enjoy. These can feel overwhelming, particularly when you are feeling emotionally depleted by life circumstances. You can increase joy in your life by the way you think about and carry out these tasks. Here are three simple ideas to bring more joy into the mundane.

1. Gratitude – focus on one benefit of doing it.

The way you think about a chore completely changes how you feel about it. While doing loads of laundry may not bring you joy, if you think about why you are doing that laundry, it changes how you feel about it. For example, if you’re doing laundry for family members, focus on gratitude for having those people in your life and having people to love. If you’re washing dishes, you can focus on gratitude for the meal. Or perhaps that pan you’re washing was a wedding gift. You can focus on gratitude for that gift and that person.

2. Privilege – change your thinking from “I have to do this” to “I get to do this.”

So many of our daily tasks exist because we have simple conveniences that make our lives easier, or opportunities that we may take for granted. Instead of thinking about how much you don’t want to do something, you can connect with more joy if you think about how you are blessed. If you’re feeling overwhelmed driving children around to sports and activities, you can focus on how wonderful it is that your children have these opportunities and that they “get to” participate. Another way is to connect with appreciation for what may be taken for granted, and imagine not having that simple convenience. For example, doing laundry is much easier with a washing machine. Simply changing one word in your thinking can help you get there. Change “have to” to “get to” and see how you feel.

3. Be Silly – sing, whistle, dance while doing it!

When all else fails, just be silly! Sing while scrubbing the toilet! Do a spin while putting the dishes away. Whistle while you’re taking out the trash.

We have to do these things anyway. Why not make them more joyful?!