Daily Compass

Joy is an anthem, a song–and a wish for others  “Joy Joy Joy!  Then may your heart be filled with joy!”  and “Joy to the World.”

What is the music of your joy (actual or metaphorical)?

When I was going through a severe bout of depression, I couldn’t feel any joy in my life. I had a wonderful life – a husband and two kids who loved me, a safe place to shelter, food to eat, a supportive and loving UU community. Intellectually, I knew all that, but knowing I should feel joy and actually feeling it were two different things. I knew I was better when I began to actually feel joy again.

Have you experienced such a depression? How did you find your way out?

If you are experiencing such a depression now, reach out for help. In the US, call 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Have you ever felt utter contentment one moment, delighting in the joy that fills you, only to be filled with dread in the very next moment? It’s as though our busy, analytical perfectionistic brains are unable to relax into the full joyousness of a moment without thoughts intruding: “of course, this is too good to be true” or “this cannot be replicated.” But we can resist this inclination to, as Brene Brown says, forebode joy.

How have you been able to relax in the vulnerability required to catch and hold on to the elusiveness of joy?

Lately, I’ve been trying to figure out what is joy and what is happiness. Are they the same thing? How should I be attached to it, do I deserve happiness or is it just something that exists where we find it? Like In a cup of tea, or a moment with dear friend. I do know that with anxiety always lurking, I find joy when I am in moment. I’m not thinking of the past or the future, but in the now.

How do you tell yourself that you deserve happiness and joy? Be in the moment today and feel some joy.

For me, joy is like a deep feeling of gratitude for major elements of my life beyond the circumstances. For example, even amidst the rivers of tears in the last year and a half, I’ve found great joy due to finding a community of like-hearted people, here and in other spaces, to work with, struggle with, and create with, after a lot of uncertainty in the last few years in my professional life.