Lately, I’ve felt like a bit of a wrung-out sponge.
Social media is a hellscape of scary news and drama.
Quarantine has been isolating and difficult, but the possibility of it being lifted is equally terrifying.
The gaps between generations and warring groups only seem to grow larger.
And yet, I’ve not lost the capacity to feel joy.
Joy can be gentle or strident, like a burst of churning color or the flicker of life in a sapling.
It’s a tiny spark that flares in my chest, my mind, makes my eyes tingle with grateful tears. I cherish these moments, storing them up against the maelstroms of society.
Wouldn’t it be incredible if we could generate joy more often? To learn how to spark it in ourselves, and clear our energy of the muck weighing us down?
It turns out, we can.
Recognizing Dissonance As a Stressor
It’s no secret that our surroundings and activities affect our energy. Think about it for a moment. Imagine yourself in an unpleasant environment. Maybe you’re surrounded by annoying coworkers or customers, the room you’re in is dingy and full of uncomfortable furniture, there’s irritating music playing, and seriously what the hell is that awful smell?
We’ve all experienced these moments. Create it in your mind, and then check in with your body. Did your heart speed up? What facial expression are you making? Is your stomach in knots?
Mine certainly is, just from imagining that kind of unpleasantness.
The thing is, these dissonant environments generate an undercurrent of anxiety in use because they feel unsafe. We can’t fully relax in them because our vibration is keeping us on edge, telling us something is wrong, even if we’re perfectly safe.
Fortunately, there’s a way to fix this.
For more on this topic, check out our podcast on Anchor.
Creating Harmonious Environments
Now that I’ve made you super uncomfortable, it’s time to bring it full circle.
Visualize that unpleasant environment in your mind again. Now, gradually replace each icky thing with something that brings you joy. Annoying coworkers become beloved friends, the dingy room becomes a clean, soothing space. Irritating music morphs into your favorite playlist, and that godawful smell transforms into your favorite dessert, fruit, or flower.
Check in with yourself again. Is your heart rate steady? Are you smiling, or making a relaxed expression? Has that anxious feeling in your stomach dissipated?
Yeah, me too.
Pretty incredible right?
When we steward our environments to include things we love that spark joy in us, it generates a feeling of safety and calm. We feel we can fully relax because our vibration is in harmony with our surroundings.
The coolest thing about this?
It’s backed up by science.
Designer and author Ingrid Fetell Lee has made her career about studying joy and how our environments affect our ability to experience it. I found her TED Talk on the subject incredibly inspiring, and I hope you do, too!