Good things happen to those who wait. But what if we didn’t have to wait for moments of pure happiness and joy to just happen to us? What if we focused on mindfully creating moments of joy?

Who doesn’t like to feel happy? Moments of happiness can be found every day in the world around us and are things to be treasured and enjoyed. Yet, moments of pure joy? Those can be harder, yet all the more rewarding to capture, leaving us feeling content and satisfied for even longer.

Life always has its ups and downs. Many of us find ourselves sitting back and waiting for good things to happen to us. But what if we don’t have to wait to experience joy? What if we could start consciously trying to create opportunities to experience happiness and joy in our everyday lives?

What’s the difference between joy and happiness?

While often used interchangeably, happiness refers more often to shorter, fleeting moments of pleasant feelings, often caused by certain experiences, situations, or things. Joy, on the other hand, is more of a state of mind; it’s longer lasting, and can even be found in times of uncertainty.

How can joy be helpful?

Joy doesn’t just make us feel good, it can have positive benefits for us physically and mentally, and can even help us to cope better with stress. Joy can help us physically by lowering blood pressure, enabling better sleep, strengthening our immune systems, and even helping improve our diets. Mentally, joy can help us to bounce back from stress due to reduced stress hormones thanks to increased happy hormones and can improve your mood.

How do you create joy?

Finding different activities that can help you to experience moments of joy during your day to day life can be easier than you might think. Small changes, developing routines and practising good habits can help you to open yourself up to joy.

Make space (and time) for joy - we all lead busy, hectic lives. No matter what you do, it can feel like there’s always too much to do, and not enough time to do it in. Having time for joy might feel like it should be a spontaneous thing, but actually, planning ahead – in your day, your week, or even your month – to have moments reserved for something that brings you joy is important. Pre-scheduling time for this means that you are prioritising your own happiness and wellbeing – and you might just find that the benefits blend in to other parts of your day.

Practice gratitude - appreciation is an art, but it can become second nature with time and dedication. Gratitude is something we can all practise, and it results in numerous mental health benefits. Keeping a daily gratitude journal, taking five minutes out of your day to sit and think of things you are grateful for, or taking time to tell friends and family that you appreciate them can all help to boost your overall wellbeing and strengthen relationships. Gratitude activates the same neurotransmitters and hormones that promote feelings of trust, pleasure and connection, which in turn can help to bring an overall sense of joy and contentment.

Exercise - regular physical activity is linked to happiness. A 2018 systemic study in the Journal of Happiness found consistent positive associations between physical activity and happiness. The NHS recommends physical exercise to release feel-good hormones that can boost your mood, reduce stress, and improve motivation.

Find ways to give back - volunteering, giving back to the local community, or finding ways to help others can have a significant impact on our social, mental, and physical health and wellbeing. A 2023 umbrella review found that volunteering has multiple benefits for those who volunteer including helping them to feel a sense of empowerment, motivation, community, and pride, as well as improving their quality of life – all of which can help support and facilitate joy in our lives.

Try something new - new, novel experiences can help us to refocus our energy, find new hobbies and passions, and gain a better understanding of what we enjoy. According to Harvard Health, as humans, we’re hard-wired to experience joy when we experience novelty (try something new). Creating opportunities to try new things can not only create momentary enjoyment, but a longer lasting sense of excitement, anticipation, and joy when we find activities we wish to pursue further.

Consider your relationship with food - our relationship with what we eat can be a complex, fraught thing. Diet culture, cleanses, the need to focus on healthy eating, the concept of ‘treating yourself’ with ‘naughty’ foods – it’s no wonder that many people can find the topic of food to be a stressful one. What we eat can have a significant impact on us, not only physically, but mentally, too. Certain foods can help to boost your mood, while even the act of cooking for yourself or loved ones can be relaxing, energising, and feel like a little moment of happiness and contemplation.

Reduce negative influences - being surrounded by negative friends, unhealthy relationships, or toxic coworkers can have an overall influence on our mindset and mood. Limiting how much interaction you have and when with these negative influences can help to cultivate a more positive mindset and outlook.

Our online interactions can also have a bigger impact than you might realise. Curating your social media feed or limiting how much time you spend doomscrolling on social media can help you to feel more connected, present in the moment, and to be more mindful of how you interact with media (and other individuals) online.

Working with an expert - knowing what makes us happy and brings us joy isn’t something that we intrinsically know, it’s something that we have to learn over time. Working with a happiness coach can be one way to help you better understand what happiness and joy mean to you, how you want to focus on creating more of those feelings in your life, and how you can cultivate a more joyful mindset.

If you find yourself struggling to find moments of happiness and joy in life, or are worried that your mood may be getting worse, it could be a sign that you need to speak with someone. Working with a mental health professional like a counsellor or therapist can help you to not only deal with specific mental health issues, but can also help with low mood, and can even help you to consider the steps you can take towards finding happiness.

Joy is a gift we can give ourselves, one mindful moment at a time. By taking small, intentional steps - whether practising gratitude, trying something new, or simply making space for joy - we can invite more happiness into our lives and savour the beauty in everyday moments. Take a deep breath, look around, and create your own opportunities for joy - you deserve it.