Stress-Free Ways to Add More Joy to Your Life

Stress-Free Ways to Add More Joy to Your Life – Few goals are as elusive as happiness. Though everyone wants to be happy, true happiness doesn’t boil down to being in a constant state of bliss. In fact, experts such as labor economist Richard Layard and Harvard academic Tal Ben Shahar have weighed in on the core ingredients of happiness.

Layard contends that one key element is maintaining a happy state—so, an ongoing state of enjoyment with minimal ups and downs. Shahar, on the other hand, incorporates meaning into his definition. In other words, Shahar acknowledges that happiness in the moment is pleasure, but happiness in the long term involves finding meaning and purpose in life.

Both definitions grant complexity to the often-lofty goal of happiness. Still, figuring out how to rewire our lives and schedules to build more happiness is tricky. Most average people don’t have access to extra time, funds, or energy to restructure their lives around happiness. Other needs take precedence.

Still, that doesn’t mean joy is out of the question. To build more happiness, here are a few tips on how to create more joy in your everyday life—without stressing yourself out with extra work or impossible goals.

Set Aside Time for Fun

Scheduling downtime is critical for the mind and body. This doesn’t have to be a difficult affair either—just set an alarm for ten or twenty minutes and find a quiet place on the couch. From there, dive into something simple that makes you happy. This can even be as basic as a mobile game.

For example, online slots are one of the most popular virtual titles in the world. To attract newcomers, many companies offer free spins and welcome deals. Most platforms offer a guide for breaking down terms and conditions, which makes starting a new account a breeze for first-timers.

Those who don’t enjoy gaming can instead opt for comedy, whether by following a standup artist or simply catching a thirty-minute show of your favorite sitcom. Many are now available for free online. For example, YouTube has full seasons of classics like The Lucy Show and The Beverly Hillbillies.

Add a Dash of Color

If you’re stuck staring at the same cubicle every day, the simplest solution to find joy is to add a bit of color. In fact, this principle works for just about any underwhelming or gloomy space. It also lets you take the chance to express yourself, which always augers joy.

For example, those who want to add more color to their daily routine can dig out old and bright items from their closets. Those with a penchant for affordable crafting can even use enamel paint to add a new layer to outdated jewelry and accessories like sunglasses.

Find the Perfect Playlist

Few people pay attention to the sounds that are happening around them. For city-dwellers, this tendency sometimes boils down to survival. But those who find themselves bogged down by daily responsibilities can use music to add joy to their life.

Music also has a few practical applications. For example, listening to music with a higher BPM (beats per minute) has been scientifically proven to boost efficiency. Meanwhile, tuning into a soothing playlist is a great way to unwind after a long day at work, as lower BPMs let the body and mind relax.

Keep in mind that even major platforms like Spotify offer a free-to-listen tier. Though you won’t be able to skip to the next song or avoid all ads, this basic tier lets users create their own playlists. You can build your own for any time or purpose—just so long as it sparks joy.

Make a Vision Board

Changing a daily routine to focus more on happiness takes time. While setbacks can be discouraging, one simple way to keep joy at the forefront of your mind is to create a vision board. At its simplest, a vision board is a place to collect reminders of a specific goal.

In this case, even writing a simple note with the word JOY or HAPPY in a visible spot can serve as a reminder that happiness is attainable—especially on those days when listening to a playlist or setting aside time for decompression isn’t possible.