Reframing Your Mind to Find Joy

Sometimes, life just gets you down. It’s normal. And you should never feel bad about having a day when you have little to no motivation. I’ve had more than my fair share of those recently. However, something that I’ve found that has substantially helped me with this is an exercise where I reframe my mind to see the joy in everything. You see, when things are difficult, we start looking for the bad, as we expect it more. It’s a defense mechanism ingrained deep in us to notice things that could be coming our way to hurt us. And when we are constantly let down by the world, we start to see more of the negative in everything around us. So, when you begin feeling this way, here’s my refreshing little exercise to shift your mindset into one that can find joy in everything instead of the negative. I hope you try it with me!

To do this exercise, you can conduct it in a quiet space where you feel comfortable. You might choose to use some gentle background music or nature sounds, or you might prefer complete silence. Choose whatever feels most supportive for your practice. If you’re familiar with different meditative states, you can choose to go deeper into your practice or stay more connected to your physical surroundings—whatever feels right for you in the moment.

As you begin, I find it important to practice a few minutes of mindfulness before diving deeper into the exercise. Begin checking in with your environment. What do you hear around you? What do you feel sitting in your environment? Does anything stand out today? Perhaps, it’s sunnier than normal? Perhaps, it’s cloudy? How does this make you feel? Turn your attention to your body to check in. How does it feel today? Try to process and then lightly release your feelings. What about emotionally? Is there anything you’re holding onto? Note it and then try to release it with a breath.

From there, you can let go of this feeling of mindfulness and instead ask yourself, “What am I grateful for?” In my personal experiences, connecting with my gratitude has allowed me to reframe my perspective from that of a negative one to an acknowledgment of joy. Living in a state of happiness and gratitude can aid in shifting your perspective to a more positive one. So, ask yourself, “What am I grateful for?” When I do this exercise, I see my cats. I see my home. I see my career. I see my family. I see my friends who are there for me. I see each and every one of the things, large or small, that make my life special. I see all the things that make me happy. And sometimes, especially when it’s a sunny day and I’m at a physical location I’m proud of (such as my home that I worked so hard for or an exciting new travel location I’ve always wanted to visit), I see myself outside in the sun at this place, feeling grateful to be here basking in the sun’s rays.

This feeling of gratitude, when lived in for several minutes, allowing you to fully soak in the love and happiness that comes from all that you hold dear in your life, can morph the dreariest of feelings into a spark of joy. This spark can grow as you bask in the warmth and happiness of those closest to you and the things you are most proud of.

As you move out of the meditation, try to slowly shift out while continually holding onto these feelings of joy. Live in that happiness and cling to it as you begin your day. When you start seeing the negative, try to shift your thought, reframing it to a positive silver lining. The brain can be conditioned, and the more you practice seeing the joy in a situation, even if you have to fake it at first, the more you will naturally flock to that. Instead of seeing, “there’s no more oat milk for my coffee” try to deflect this to “oh, good! I can try something new in my coffee today” and appreciate that new experience. I know it sounds silly and even challenging, but this can be done, and your life can feel so much more joyful for holding onto the positive thoughts instead of the negative ones. Now, this is easier said than done. I have to remind myself to shift over to the positive on the daily, and when times are at their worst, it can truly feel almost impossible. But with the right people around you and a desire to feel the joy that exists around you at all times, all you need is a want to access it, and you can get there.