How to Feel Joy When the World Feels Heavy

The world has felt quite heavy recently, hasn’t it?

From continuing to navigate life with a global pandemic to political/global unrest to watching fellow humans, animals and our planet suffer, it honestly has been a lot to feel as a human. 

While it may seem wrong or impossible right now, I think now is the time to seek out and find joy amongst the heaviness of the world at the moment. 

I hope this post can serve as a reminder or even just a “pick-me-up” for those who are feeling like the world feels in a dark space at the moment.

Keep reading to see why and how to find joy during this time in our world.  

Why Feel Joy Right Now?

One of my favorite books (and a guiding book for this space!) is The Book of Joy written by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Douglas Abrams.

While it was published in 2016, the His Holiness and the Archbishop’s point on feeling joy when it feels like the outside world is reflecting everything BUT joy still rings so true. 

When asked why we should feel joy when it feels like the world is so burdened, Archbishop Tutu responded saying,

Reading this quote instantly took me back to the early stages of COVID. The world felt unknown. Suddenly everything we knew was lost. It felt easy to get into a mindset of how awful everything was.

 Yet, there was so much good present. 

We saw doctors, nurses and essential workers showing their bravery and passion for serving others.  

We saw kids, parents and teachers show resilience in ways they never thought possible when schooling suddenly looked completely different. 

And, we saw people really finding their purposes and passions like on John Krasinski’s Some Good News videos on YouTube (those became such a bright spot personally for me in 2020!).

These two men have experienced insurmountable heaviness in life. Yet, both are dedicated to feeling joy. Why?

Perhaps, it is because they see the good and joy that is ever present even when things feel like the complete opposite. Or maybe it’s because there’s a knowing that in joy you feel pain more easily.

Either way, both of these spiritual leaders point towards the importance of feeling that inner joy—no matter the circumstance! So, when the world feels heavy, lean into the inner joy. Tap into it. It is your lighthouse, your guide, and a way to approach difficult things while being tapped into the joy of being alive at this moment.

The Book of Joy’s Eight Pillars of Joy:

The Book of Joy focuses on eight different pillars that make up the feeling of joy.

They are,

• Perspective
• Humility
• Humor
• Acceptance
• Forgiveness
• Gratitude
• Compassion
• Generosity

After reading about each one and reflecting on it, I truly believe each has a place in helping us to feel joy right now even amongst the heaviness so many, myself included, are feeling right now.

While The Book of Joy ends with its own suggestions for practicing each pillar, the ideas below are my own in relation to finding joy when the world feels heavy.

Finding Joy Through Perspective:

How wise is Archbishop Tutu’s quote above?

His Holiness’ the Dalai Lama response to feeling joy when the world feels in chaos echos the Archbishop’s point above.

He says,

I feel like perspective is such a critical component of feeling joy despite the world feeling the complete opposite.

Shifting your viewpoint (or angles as the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Tutu talk about) from one of thinking the world is so awful/bad/ full of pain to one of joy, requires us to shift our perspective to one of looking for the good as the Dalai Lama states.

It is hard to do, especially when you are an empath (any other empaths out there, like me???).

Here are three ways I am finding some joy right now through perspective:

• Try shifting your focus to your more immediate surroundings. Look at the good in getting to celebrate a birthday with a family member or in hearing some good news about a family member or in getting to find time to meditate each morning. This kind of reminds me of the ideas of mindfulness mixed with gratitude.  
• Attempt to view the world through a there-is-good lens. Personally, I limit my news consumption, because I find it is better for my mental health, but I also strive to perk up when I do hear news about good happening! Check out the ones listed below if this resonates with you!
  • The Good Newsletter
  • A lot of the major news sources also have pages dedicated to good news. Here’s a few: TODAY, MSN, and Huffington Post
  • There are also many social media profiles dedicated to sharing the good news going on right now. A couple of Instagram ones are: Good News Movement, Tank’s Good News, Good Good Good Co (the Instagram of the Good Newsletter from above!), and All Things Good (A newsletter sent out weekly with all the good news from the week)
  • Good News Network (A online news-like website with articles all about the good news going on)
• “Shine That Turd”. My aunt first told me this phrase, and I certainly feel like it is (in addition to being kinda gross!) so relevant. Essentially, it is saying, how can I find the positive in this not really positive experience. This is really just a mind-shift change. It’s not to say that the circumstance is suddenly positive, but it is about finding the positive within the negative.
• In The Book of Joy, there’s a story about the power of perspective to change your joy felt. The story is about two men who have both lost their ability to use their legs. One man suffered, sitting in his bed in the fetal position and was upset about how his life was over as he knew it. The second man, who had the same event happening to him, talked about how he got a new lease on life. With his being in a wheelchair, he talked about how he was able to be nearer to flowers.
  Same not-positive circumstance with vastly different perspectives that ultimately led one man towards feeling more joy.
•  I remember seeing a post about the positives people have experienced during a forced quarantine. Parents talked about getting to sit down and read more with their kids. Other parents talked about they were savoring the extra time with their teens before they head to college/onto their next step after high school. I remember reading another article all about the amazing benefits of less people being out had on our environment with our Earth’s pollution decreasing and green-ness increasing. Yes, quarantine was still hard. It had lots of negatives. But, shifting to a different perspective allows for us to get into a state of joy and seeing the situation from another angle while still honoring the difficulty of the situation. We have overcome hardships—as humanity—countless times in history. And we come through the hard parts with a better understanding and desire to make changes for the better.

Finding Joy Through Humility

Humility is a concept probably not immediately thought of in regards to feeling joy, but it is honestly—I feel— so closely aligned with the idea of feeling joy!

The Dalai Lama talks about humility in regards to his nerves about doing formal teachings when he was younger stating,

Have you ever felt yourself recently with the world as it is right now, feeling like you are special and know exactly what needs to be done in the world right now or even need to be?

When I have been in that state, I feel, as the Dalai Lama says, isolated and not feeling tapped into my own inner joy within.

Some Things to Try to Shift into Joy Through Humility:

• Notice When You Are Feeling “Special/Better” and Shift. -We’re human. We all, every single day probably, have instances when we are feeling like we know better than everyone else. Especially when the world is feeling so chaotic, we probably are leaning more on how we can create some control via “knowing exactly what needs to be done”. When this happens, try to catch yourself and shift to seeing yourself, as the Dalai Lama says, just a fellow human being talking to another fellow human being. It’s not to say you don’t have a great idea and can’t share it. It is saying, we are all equals. We are all imperfect human beings.
• Laugh at Yourself!: The Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu end their chapter on humility on this point- laugh at yourself. Since we are all human, we make mistakes, laugh at yourself for them. Laugh at your humanness. And, it helps to shift you into a more joyful state!
• Practice this meditation on humility
• Aim to be Authentic (especially right now): The Dalai Lama continues his quote above saying, “When things go smoothly, then we can pretend we are something special. But something happens, something unexpected, then we are forced to act like normal human beings.” -Try to share your authenticity, because none of us are perfect, and as Brené Brown talks about, authenticity is a way to really connect with people.
• Extend Humility to Others Right Now.
  • It is so easy right now to be upset with leaders/others for doing things that you don’t agree with. With so much going on, there’s a lot of different opportunities to feel this way.
  • Try to lean into offering humility and compassion to those people you don’t agree with right now. I find when I shift my mind to thinking about those human beings as just fellow human beings trying their best in a world that is super heavy at the moment, I find so much more compassion for them, and I am able to better access my own inner joy. I love this Brené Brown in her book, The Gifts of Imperfection, that living authentically is, “exercising the compassion that comes from knowing that we are made of strength and struggle […]”.

Finding Joy Through Humor

One of my best friends and I send each other memes all the time. Honestly, in thinking about it, it’s because we are using their humor to lighten a situation that’s been weighing on us.

Humor is so necessary when there is a heaviness about a situation because it allows us to almost take a breath of some joy at that moment.

Archbishop Tutu summarizes this so well by saying,

Humor is a reminder of the ridiculousness we face as humans at times. It helps us to feel lighter and more joy when not-so-great stuff happens in life.

Tips for How to Add Some Humor Right Now:

• Laugh with Others!: I love this quote in The Book of Joy that says, “Laughter [is] the most direct line between any two people”. So true! Have you ever laughed with a stranger and suddenly feel more like you know them a little better? Try to laugh about something with others or even just to yourself!
• Laugh with Others!: I love this quote in The Book of Joy that says, “Laughter [is] the most direct line between any two people”. So true! Have you ever laughed with a stranger and suddenly feel more like you know them a little better? Try to laugh about something with others or even just to yourself!
• Seek out Humor
  • Watch funny movies and tv-shows (For me, Psych and How I Met Your Mother ALWAYS make me laugh)
  • Find funny memes (this one makes me laugh!)
  • Follow funny social media accounts (Try Jim Gaffigan and/or Funny Or Die)
  • Listen to podasts that make you laugh! (Here’s a list of funny podcasts)
  • Watch funny videos (I love watching Stella the Golden Retriever and jump into a pile of leaves and this series on Explaining Pandemic to my Past Self)

Finding Joy Through Acceptance

Acceptance is such a wonderful word. Especially right now.

As the Archbishop Tutu says,

There can be a fine line between “living in joy” and the term toxic positivity. I feel like what avoids the crossover is acceptance.

 Acceptance allows for the “bad” to be present. It allows for us to acknowledge that something not great is going on. Like right now when the world feels like it has so much not great going on.

Acceptance does not mean passivity as is talked about in The Book of Joy. It’s the idea of acknowledging what is present (and maybe isn’t) at the moment.

Some Things to Try to Add More Acceptance (+Joy) into Your Life Right Now:

• Accept: Accept all that is going on in the world right now. All of its messiness (+good). You can try affirming to yourself: “I accept this moment right now in all its messiness and good.”
• Try an Acceptance Meditation: If you find you might need more to help you accept the present moment, see if doing an acceptance meditation helps you. Here’s one and here’s another one— see if they resonate with you.
• Try Reading The Power of Now: This book is one of my favorites for living with more joy. In it, Eckhart Tolle talks (as per the title) about the idea of how powerful the Now moment is. With that, he also talks about the idea of acceptance of the Now moment. I love his quote on acceptance which says, “[T]he more you are able to honor and accept the Now, the more you are free of pain, of suffering” and his idea of “Accept—then act”.

Finding Joy Through Forgiveness

In the Hamilton song, “It’s Quiet Uptown”, Eliza Hamilton, after a tumultuous time in her and her husband’s lives, says, “Forgiveness, can you imagine?”.

With so much anger and suffering in the world, it’s natural to see so many of us holding resentment and putting blame towards others for not doing what we think they should have to avoid this. Or doing that to ourselves.

Forgiveness seems so far away when we hold onto this anger and blame.

Somewhere along the lines, I heard the quote, “Forgiveness is really for ourselves”. The premise of this was the idea that forgiving allows us to move on. To be free of what has caused us pain and move towards a better (+more joyful) future.

It doesn’t mean that we are saying what was done was right. The Dalai Lama summarizes this saying,

Some Ways to Move Into Joy Via Forgiveness Right Now:

• Forgive Others Who You Are Blaming.
  
  • Political leaders, family, friends, institutions, groups. Similar to the humility section, remember they are humans. Fellow, imperfect humans. Certainly easier said than done, right?
  • Try a Loving Kindness meditation or try a forgiveness specific meditation. Or try writing your thoughts down. Or maybe just make a conscious effort to release that anger/blame and move towards forgiving these people.
• Forgive Yourself for Not Being Perfect.
  • When I was reading The Knowing by Saje Dyer and Serena Dyer Pisoni, Serena talked about this common Hawaiian forgiveness technique called the Ho’oponopono Prayer. It is a saying in which you repeat these words “I am sorry. Please Forgive me. Thank You. I Love You.” In the book, she was talking this forgiveness technique in regards to making amends with others, but I think it’s such a powerful way to self-forgive.
  • Apply the meditations above for self-forgiveness as well!
• Forgive Things For Not Being Where You Want Them at this Moment: Something that’s not really talked about is the idea of forgiving things for not being what you want them to be. Maybe you wanted to be abroad right now and can’t. Maybe you thought you would be doing something at this time last year, and aren’t. In a way, it goes back to acceptance. Accept that this isn’t where you would like to be right now, and then, as Eckhart Tolle says, act!
• Try Reading The Book of Forgiving: I haven’t read this book yet (it is on my list!), but—like The Book of Joy— it is written by Desmond Tutu along with Mpho Tutu van Furth, his daughter. As the title says the book is about, “The Fourfold Path for Healing Ourselves and Our World”. If it resonates with you, give it a try!
• Listen to Some Forgiveness Music: There’s plenty of music out there all about the idea of forgiving because it is such a universally experienced thing. I really enjoy the song, “Forgive” by Trevor Hall when I need to practice some forgiveness

Some Resources:

Check out these resources when trying to incorporate more forgiveness into your life!

Finding Joy Through Gratitude

When things seem crazy around you, it probably isn’t an instinct stop and look for some good around you. Gratitude bridges that gap.

 Honestly, the premise of gratitude has become a powerful tool for me personally when I feel the heaviness of the world. It forces me to see and appreciate what is going right in my world at that moment.

Some Ways to Add Joy Via Gratitude Right Now:

• Try a Gratitude List: One of my favorite ways to gratitude journal comes from the book, The Magic (it may be a little “woo woo”—as Bella Lively says— for some, but I honestly love the gratitude message of it!). In the book, the author has you every day write 10 things you are grateful for and why. This can look something along the lines of writing “I am so joyful and thankful for (insert thing you are grateful for) because (give reason you are thankful for that thing!)”. And then, say “Thank you, thank you, thank you” for that thing you are grateful for. I talked about this practice-and gratitude in general- in my post on 10 joyful things about November!

• Think of the best part of your day before you go to sleep.
  • Another exercise from The Magic has you hold a stone (although you don’t need to do that) before bed and think of the best thing that happened that day and say “thank you” for it.
  • There’s also a children’s book by Sarah Ban Breathnach called The Best Part of the Day
    which explains this same kind of idea in children-friendly language! I really enjoy this book, and it is one of the five books I listed in my post on children’s books about living with joy!

• Listen to some Gratitude Music.
  • One of my favorite songs that I discovered was the song, “Gratitude” by Jason Mraz. In the song, he talks about all the things he is grateful for in life, which includes some of the typical things that one wouldn’t think to be grateful for. A couple of other great songs, that I enjoy, include “Gratitude” by Brandon Lake (this is a more faith-based song) and “Thankful” by Kelly Clarkson

Shop This Post:

Here are some resources as they relate to increasing gratitude.

Finding Joy Through Compassion

Compassion. Through my own studies I have often come across comparisons between empathy, compassion, and sympathy, such as this powerful video by Brené Brown (which compares empathy with sympathy). In Brené Brown’s most recent book, Atlas of the Heart, she dedicates space to looking at compassion versus empathy.

I love this quote in particular,

To me, it’s such a strong reminder of compassion-that to error is human, but it is okay to not let it disrupt our entire lives. We can have compassion while also setting up boundaries (as Brené Brown talks about in Atlas of the Heart) to protect our own inner joy within.

I love this quote by Eckhart Tolle in The Power of Now that says,

We are all connected, we are all part of living in this time right now-at this moment. Realizing that we are all sharing a connection, I think it makes it easier to engage in having compassion for others—and yourself.

 I think it is equally important to lean into self-compassion when the world feels heavy. Maybe it feels heavy because of something we did/said or didn’t do/say. Again, to error is human, and it is okay to take the time to have compassion for ourselves in addition to others.

Here are some ways to feel more joy through having compassion:

• Watch this interesting video all about how meditation and compassion impact our brains!: The Neuroscience of Meditation, Mindfulness, and Compassion
• Practice compassion with this meditation: Giving and Receiving Compassion (Audio Meditation)
• Listen to this video by Matthieu Ricard, a Buddhist monk, on compasion with some practice meditations in compassion and a Q&A on compassion: A Guided Meditation on Altruistic Love and Compassion | Matthieu Ricard | Talks at Google
• Read Radical Compassion: I have yet to read this book (again, it’s on my to-read list!), but I have heard great things about Tara Brach who wrote this book.
• Practice self-compassion with Tara Brach through listening to this meditation: Meditation: Awakening Self Compassion, with Tara Brach
• Practice some compassion yoga
• Read Self-Compassion: *Authenticity Note: I have started this book, but I have yet to finish it. From what I read so far, I enjoyed it-and it resonated with me! The book’s author, Dr. Kristin Neff is a forefront leader in the field of self-compassion!
• Read The Seed of Compassion and/or I Am Love with a child in your life (or on your own!) *Authenticity Note: I have not read either, but both have wonderful reviews on Amazon!
• Check out this article: Compassionate Communication
• Read The Compassion Book by Pema Chödrön: *Authenticity Note: I have yet to read this one, but I have listened to Pema Chödrön on Oprah’s Super Soul Podcast and enjoyed her immensely!

Finding Joy Through Generosity

Sometimes when the world feels heavy with lots of stuff going on, we feel so out of control— because, well, we often are! We can’t control all the challenges of the world all by oursleves, but we can take small steps to help change it for the future.

To me, that is where generosity comes in.

We can be generous, with our time, our money, our thoughts and our actions. All of this can help shift us from this feeling of being out of control in a heavy world to feeling a bit more in control.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu summarizes the power of being generous so wonderfully when he says,

Here are some ways to find joy through generosity when the world is weighing on you:

• Try to identify what about the world feels heavy right now and research and identify an organization that is actively working to solve that problem to donate to… perhaps it is climate change, and you decide to donate your time and/or energy to an environmental organization. Try looking at Charity Navigator to help you get a better picture of how the organization uses its money.
• Volunteer your time to an organization that you believe will help elevate this world more!
• Start a group/organization towards promoting a particular solution you have for the world
• Lean into practicing having generous thoughts towards others– practice having compassion for others right now.
• Try to be more generous with your actions. That may look like smiling at strangers when you walk past them, holding the door open for others behind you, really taking time to say “thank you” to all the people who support you in life (family, friends, and service workers!).
• Lean into your calling in life/ take time to find it. Every single person has a calling in life- I believe- and this calling is for the greatest good for all.

Sometimes the World Feels Heavy

Let’s be honest, the world can feel insanely heavy right now.

We’re dealing with a once in lifetime pandemic, nature challenges, human suffering, Earth suffering on top of our own individual events that weigh on our hearts because we are humans.

Even though there is this insane amount of heaviness right now, we can still seek out the joy while also accepting that there is a lot going on right now.

By choosing joy, we can align ourselves to find our own inner joy, while also being hopeful for a better tomorrow. When we do this, we encourage others to do the same— and that, in turn, creates a better world all around! It truly creates a ripple effect of joy!

So here’s to us. Here’s to us humans who have a lot going on right now, but also are determined to seek out the joy within ourselves and conquer the heaviness of this moment from this place of joy. 🙂

Comment below: What are some ways you find joy when the world feels heavy?