Do What Brings You Joy

By Julie Potiker

Life is full of emotional chaos, but bringing it back to focused activities that give joy to your soul can mean the difference between making it or breaking it day to day, year to year.

Here are my 5 tips for experiencing more joy right here, right now:

1. Today, find 10 – 15 minutes to grab a pen and paper (your journal if you keep one) and write down everything you can think of that brings you joy.

2. Add anything and everything joyful to your list, from simple things like feeling the warmth of your morning beverage in your hands to big-picture “wish list” items like a relaxing beach vacation with your favorite people. Make sure your list includes plenty of simple, accessible joys and as many plan-worthy joys as you like.

3. Pick one thing from your joy list each day and do it! This simple commitment to your own well-being is nothing less than transformative.

4. Occasionally, pick out one of your big-picture wish list items from your list and start planning it out. Research reveals that thinking about and planning something you’re excited about creates feelings of joy and happiness!

5. Whenever you find yourself experiencing something joyful, pause for a moment and really let that joy sink in.

Breathe into it and let it fill you up. Relish it! Beyond just savoring the moment, this action also helps you to install these good feelings in your brain, rewiring it so you are even more predisposed to joy in the future.

For more information, visit: Online Media Kit: www.JuliePotiker.OnlinePressKit247.comPublic Site: www.MindfulMethodsForLife.comJulie Potiker was born in Cleveland, Ohio. She received her bachelor’s degree in general science (with a concentration in psychology and theater) from the University of Michigan and her JD from George Washington University.Potiker’s life experiences inspired her to study mindfulness. She now teaches mindful self-compassion and is the founder and chair of the Balanced Mind Meditation Center. Potiker has also created Mindful Methods for Life, a proprietary system that rewires the brain for greater happiness and resilience. She has helped bring the science behind mindfulness to people in all walks of life.

Potiker lives with her family in La Jolla, California. She has enjoyed watching her three children—Michael, Cara, and Danielle—grow into happy young adults.Potiker is the author of Life Falls Apart, But You Don’t Have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos.