How Do You Practice Joy?

[Magic]

I'd like to quote a fragment from this pretty wise article:

Quote

 

4. Your emotions take practice.

When we think about practice, we often talk in terms of skill. You practice the piano, or you practice playing hockey. But the thing is, who you are emotionally also takes practice. You can practice humility, you can practice forgiveness.

You can practice self-awareness and humor, just as easily as you can practice anger, resentment, drama, and conflict. Who you are, emotionally, is a reflection of the things you consciously (or unconsciously) practice. You were not "born" upset. You have merely practiced that emotion far more than you have, say, joy.

 

What do you think about it?
And most importantly, how do you practice joy?

[Shin]

Right now, I listen to this while just being (no thoughts at all): http://www.di.fm/melodicprogressive

Sometimes I have flash of how my life will be in the next months,

And I can't stop crying.

@Magic It's a radio, so you might heard a  weird one, it's pretty cheerful usually, otherwise I wouldn't listen it ^^

And yeah, one year ago I was listening to some emo trance, with lots of female voice, and all the track could resume to "I need love PLZ gimme love", it's so funny when I think of it now

Edited March 27, 2017 by Shin

[Magic]

@Shin, thanks for sharing. I find the music rather melancholic than joyful... It would rather bring me down, man. But I was there and I do understand you, you have to do in accord with the inside. When I look at my playlist from half a year ago, I wonder wtf, why I'd cherish and grow the sadness and melancholy inside of me with such tunes. I think I was playing a victim. I'm very happy to have progressed, even if it's just a little bit. (Meditation changes permanently.)

Edited March 27, 2017 by Magic

[Salaam]

@Magic

For me practicing joy is kind of like farming in a way.

I plant little seeds of meaning in my life by facing resistance and taking the risk of being vulnerable, sensitive, and expressing things from my heart and humanity. I give and invest my care, nurturing things with it, like giving water to a thirsty plant. 

When I involve myself in these ways, these seeds over time grow into relationships and moments I can look back on and naturally, effortlessly feel joy towards. When it's with people like my Wife, when they feel joy and success and happiness, then I also feel joy, because I'm invested and genuinely care about their experience of life. When I regard myself and the choices I've made and the way that I've been shaped, I feel so much joy because I didn't take the hollow, shallow road, I bled and hurt and rose to shape something beautiful, amidst brutal environments, especially within the depths of myself, where I so could have easily lived in a less satisfying way.

So basically, I live in such a way that I avoid the kind of life where joy fades due to numbness, fear, selfishness, distrust and cynicism. Instead I choose things with the possibility of short term pain and loss that require effort and investment, like vulnerability, trust, generosity, facing challenge, and hope. By exercising those kinds of feelings with generous action, meaning and beauty is created and appreciated, which brings about a joyous gratification for what ends up being created in the process.

That's how I create joy in my life and bring about joy in others.

[Loreena]

I have never really experienced true joy.

[Saarah]

@Magic Whatever negative emotion you're feeling then it will be about attending the underlying cause, so very individual actions in terms of what brings us joy from that state 

Lately for me focusing on the future was bringing me down, so I decided to just focus on what I can do for the next five minutes 

That then helped me to move towards creating, practicing gratefulness and self-loving acts in the now 

 

[Steph1988]

@Loreena i almost can´t believe it. Can you maybe tell why that is?

And for the topic,

I think what helped me a little bit is watching a LOT of comedy all kinds as long as it is a bit anarchistic and absurd. I think i watch some comedic stuff every day right before sleeping could be anything stand up comedy,old jackass episodes,stuff on YouTube etc Maybe not the most original tip but whatever works and seriously play a prank on someone or do something stupid, say unpredictable stuff just because u can .

 

[FirstglimpseOMG]

@Loreena and all..  What if you did experience true joy often in your life, but didn't recognize it because it was such a short instance of it before mind kicked in to analyze just how joyful it was or wasn't? Have you been getting any of Eckhart Tolle's 'The Power Of Now' into you, or 'A New Earth'?

Have you ever walked out of the mall or plaza with 3 things on your mind and realized in an instant that you had made it halfway across the parking lot underneath the most gorgeous, fiery complete-sky sunset everrrr, and not even been seeing it? Suddenly your thoughts stop, because there is an instant there, when you see the sky and you gasp involuntarily at the beauty. Before mind kicks in to narrate for you, for that instant before mind decides you needed a quick description; "Ooh what a breathtaking sunset!"... for the fleeting instant before that automatically (*sigh*) happens - that's true joy. Mind kills it real quick. But it does arise! Look for it! Find it! Recognize it! Make it! Share it and increase it ten-fold! Joy's the natural part, the rest of the downer crap is the mask, the fakery, the faker.

Edited March 30, 2017 by FirstglimpseOMG
Speeling

[Loreena]

@Steph1988 @FirstglimpseOMG I suffered from depression for many years because of lot of childhood issues that I still have difficulty dealing with. I still suffer from it. I know what you mean but many tragedies have happened so I find it difficult to seek happiness in my life. 

[Bob84]

On 3/27/2017 at 8:00 PM, Loreena said:

I have never really experienced true joy.

Or is it that you are not satisfied with the joy and it needs to be more?

Commenly when people add "true" infront of a word they want to have a better or not existing version of set thing 

@Magic think happy thoughts. And let the ego mentaly mastrubate about exiting ideas and concepts. 

Or one could ofcource minimize focusing on the negative ones 

The process of suffering is the same as joy. So everyone has the tools 

[egoeimai]

@Magic You can't practice it. You feel it. You are feeling emotions such as appreciation,Love, and JOY comes easily. You can practice your thoughts,and you must care about how you feel (be aware) and you can reach this great emotion! 

[Steph1988]

@Loreena Oh that sucks indeed i can relate to depression but tragedy is something else i only have seen people like that for example a young person who lost both their parents in quick succession and i guess very few people can relate to you i mean really relate and i can understand in that case u do not want to hear things as the world is perfect and all is love because it isn't, life is simply not fair and will never be.

The one thing you might have that others don't is that you once u get better u are tougher then most other people and have more real empathy as i never seen a person with true empathy up this point who had everything going for them.

so all best to you.