Seeking, Inviting, and Embracing Joy
For many, the school year has already begun. But, here in the northeast, educators are gearing up for the return in early September. There’s a mix of excitement and anticipation for what’s to come. Many of my educator friends are still recouping from the challenges that came from Covid and wishing with all their might for a more ‘normal’ school year. Although we can’t predict what will be as we embark on this new school year, we can strive to prioritize wellness and take ownership in seeking and embracing joy to counterbalance challenges.
As an educator myself, I know the very real pressures that come with teaching. Everyone, in every role, has their own share of challenges to work through. Challenges will always exist. They will change year-to-year, but they will likely exist on some level. In an ideal world, challenges would simply subside, but as humans, we are made to persist through difficult experiences in order to grow.
This year, I’m committed to prioritizing wellness and intentionally seeking joy within every opportunity I can. In past years, I’ve engaged in gratitude journaling and other practices that have really impacted my well-being. I became even more aware of all the good that exists, as it shifted my mindset to focus on the positives. With that said, it doesn’t mean that we ignore things that may be ‘wrong.’ It simply means that we can practice looking for the good, so that we can better work through challenges that naturally come our way. Experiencing joy also has multiple health benefits.
Benefits of Feeling More Joy according to Healthline.com
- promotes a healthier lifestyle
- boosts immune system
- fights stress and pain
- supports longevity
If you’re like me, these sound pretty great. It’s partly why I’m determined to focus even more on creating a joy filled life. This past year, I’ve paid attention to the concept of joy and wanted to reflect and share a bit of what has helped me.
What Brings You Joy?
To seek and embrace joy, we need to know what it is that brings us joy. What brings one joy, may not be what works for another. Being present helps us gain awareness for what brings us joy. To me, joy comes in the form of a simple, hot cup of coffee. Or, seeing my dogs snuggled up and sleeping. Joy is seeing my kids overcome challenges, the smile on a friend’s face, and taking time to appreciate nature. Joy also comes when a reserved learner gains the confidence to share with classmates and when I see learners develop a genuine joy for learning. I could go on. Years ago, I may have taken these little things for granted. I’ve learned that joy is all around us if we look closely.
Inviting Joy
Years ago I had friends who would ask, “how do you do it all.” I remember feeling stumped by that question. I filled my day from sun up until I absolutely had to go to sleep at night. My days were spent being a mom and wife, teaching, serving on multiple committees, running a podcast, serving as grade level chair, and authoring a book. I was traveling, speaking, consulting, and more. This all felt normal to me; it’s all I knew. As I wrapped up writing my first book, Take the L.E.A.P. Ignite a Culture of Innovation, I recognized something I hadn’t felt before. It wasn’t exhaustion or stress, but something in my body and soul that caused me to become more self-aware–– I knew I wasn’t living my healthiest life. I grew aware of how I needed to create space for myself and self-care. Our boys were growing into teens and had new needs. I continued my endeavors, but made some shifts to allow for self-care and more time with family.
The more space I created, the more I found that I was inviting joy. I take time to sit and listen to the rain on a warm summer day or dive into creative projects that I’ve dreamt about. Taking time to just be, writing, working out and taking care of my health–– all invites joy. So does taking time to connect with a friend or family member. Disconnecting from electronics and paying attention to our own senses and those around us, can guide us in the right direction to invite more joy into our lives.
I continue to learn that I can do all the things I love, but spacing out events and placing some boundaries to protect my own time for self-care, and time with family, is essential. As educators, we often want to say yes to everything. Or, maybe we feel like we should say yes. However, sometimes saying no, is best. Every time we take something new on, it creates less time for all that we are already doing. We go through different seasons in life, embracing fluidity can help us navigate how we utilize our time and ensure we allow space to invite joy into our lives.
Embracing Joy
A few weeks back while on vacation, our first born who is 17 and a senior this year, caught my husband and I as we returned from a 2 mile walk on the beach. Our boys had opted to play basketball instead of joining us. He said, “mom, do you want to go walk on the beach?” In the moment, I was looking forward to going back to our villa to relax. Part of me even had the thought that he should have joined us to begin with. But then it dawned on me… We never know how many more opportunities we we’ll have to do these, ‘special things.’ When our kids are young it can feel as though we have enough time. But, suddenly, kids become teens and become consumed with sports or other activities, friends, and their own interests. They seek greater independence, and less time with their parents.
In that moment, there was no way I was going to pass up an invitation to walk with my son on the beach. I took a pause that day from what I had planned and embraced the joy before me. We walked together, feet in the ocean, with the moon beaming down on us, just reminiscing and talking about life. I’m grateful that I’ve learned the power of pausing and embracing moments that bring us joy. Each of us can embrace joy by taking time to pause and noticing the goodness that surrounds us.
Striving to Continuously Seek Joy
We all have our ‘to-do’ lists and obligations in life. Taking time to identify what brings us joy, and creating space to invite joy, encourages us to better embrace joy when it’s before us. It’s the little things that can become some of the most meaningful things, if we remain present and aware of ourselves and surroundings. We will all experience seasons of life that are busier than others, but prioritizing joy in our lives is an investment in our health that yields great benefits. So, this year, my hope is that even during our busiest or most stressful days, we take time and provide ourselves space to invite, create, and embrace joy. I would love to hear from you how you inspire joy in your life– I’m sure we would all benefit from new ideas and learning from one another!
