3 Simple Ways How to Feel More Joy

When we learn to cultivate inner peace and a sense of balance in our system, we will naturally reach states where we feel more joy. 

Although we often (unconsciously) seek those peaks of happiness and excitement, I’ve learned that when we maintain ourselves in a state of equilibrium and inner stability, we set a foundation for feeling more joy. 

I watched a video a while back where the person said, “When things are going well, just be calm. When things are not going so well, just be calm.” And that pretty much sums up the inner balance I am talking about. 

How to feel more joy by cultivating inner peace? 

Can you be joyful if you are not peaceful? Probably not. If there is an inner turmoil or mental and psychological disturbance happening within you, feeling joy may be challenging or simply impossible. 

Therefore, start by focusing on bringing more peace into your system (see tools below). Once you reach a certain state of balance, you can use visualization and heart-opening exercises to feel more joy. 

This leads me to…

3 simple ways how to feel more joy 

#1 Use breath and intention to cultivate inner peace 

Find a comfortable place where you can sit, free from distractions. Close your eyes and place your left hand over your heart center and your right hand over your left. 

Take a few gentle breaths and observe the beating of your heart. Feel the subtle reverberation in your limbs and notice how your chest rises and goes down as you breathe. 

Next, take a deep, slow inhale and visualize a bright white light entering your body to your heart. Imagine this bright light washing over your heart and healing any pain, anxiety, or sadness. 

As you gently exhale, imagine this white light taking out any emotions or pains that don’t serve you and releasing them into an empty space. 

Repeat at least 10 times or as many times as you wish. You can also incorporate it into your meditation or yoga practice. 

#2 Feel more joy through visualization 

Close your eyes and place your left hand over your heart center and your right hand over your left. Take three deep breaths. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. With every exhale, melt into the pose you are sitting in and let go of any heaviness or tension in your body. 

Bring to your awareness the most loving or compassionate moment you can recall. Maybe it was a play with your dog this morning or a moment with your friend or family member you recall. Maybe it was the beautiful sunny sky you indulged in today for a few moments while admiring its beauty. 

Choose anything that brings a warm feeling of love, joy, peace, or ease into this moment. Sit with it for 3 to 5 minutes, fully involved in this vision. I bet that sooner or later, you will find yourself smiling, and maybe even tears of gratitude will roll down your cheeks. 

#3 Give it a good cry 

I know this may seem counterproductive but stay with me. 

Recall a state when you felt a sense of tension and unease. Eventually, you got to the point, maybe sooner or later (depending on how you process your emotions), when you simply started crying. Maybe desperation from feeling how you did make you cry, or the pressure we often put on ourselves, thinking we should always feel good. 

Once your crying episode was over, you felt lighter, am I correct? 

It felt like a rough ocean come to a stop, and the water was so still it looked like a mirror. 

And this is what a good cry can do for you. Although you may not feel more joy right afterward, you feel at peace because you released something. And then, from this place of peace and lightness, you can go back to tool #2 to consciously create and feel more joy. 

What way of creating more joy most speaks to you? Can you see the distinction between inner peace and joy and how they correlate together? I’d love to know your thoughts. Feel free to leave a comment below.