Finding Your Joy: The Simple Daily Practice That Anchors You Back to Hope

Life is beautiful, but let’s be honest—life can also get overwhelmingly hard. Stress, hormones, unexpected circumstances, grief, responsibilities… all of it piles up until the nervous system feels like it’s vibrating on overload. During these moments, it’s easy to lose sight of joy. But joy is not gone—it’s just waiting to be remembered.

I’ve found that when life feels heavy, connecting to one small moment of joy each day can anchor us back into hope. Just one thing that moves your soul is enough to remind you that you are still alive, still growing, still capable of feeling beauty.

Why One Small Joy Matters

Joy doesn’t need to be huge or impressive. It can be:

• Your favorite song

• A warm cup of coffee

• Watching your pet be their adorable self

• A sunset

• A funny memory

• A spiritual symbol that resonates

• A quiet moment where you breathe and the world softens

When you honor these moments—really pause and feel them—your body responds in powerful, scientifically measurable ways.

The Science Behind Small Joys

Here’s what neuroscience and psychology now understand:

1. Joy Activates the Ventral Vagal Nervous System

When you pause and breathe with intention:

• Your vagus nerve activates

• Your heart rate slows

• Your body shifts out of fight-or-flight

• Anxiety decreases

• Clarity returns

Just a few deep breaths is enough to begin calming your internal stress response.

2. Positive Emotion Broadens Your Brain’s Capacity

According to the Broaden-and-Build Theory by psychologist Barbara Fredrickson, even small positive emotions:

• Increase creativity

• Improve problem-solving

• Strengthen resilience

• Help your mind see possibilities you couldn’t see before

This means one joyful moment can change the direction of your entire day.

3. Joy Regulates Cortisol and Serotonin

When you consciously experience joy:

• Cortisol (your stress hormone) lowers

• Serotonin (your “steady mood” hormone) stabilizes

• Oxytocin (your bonding and connection hormone) increases, especially when your hand is over your heart

These tiny hormonal shifts make a massive difference in emotional balance.

4. Visualization Tricks the Brain in a Good Way

When you close your eyes and imagine something joyful:

• Your brain lights up as if it’s happening in real-time

• You experience the emotional benefits immediately

• You build new neural pathways that make joy easier to access in the future

This is why intentional joyful visualization is so powerful—it’s literally rewiring you toward peace.

The Joy Anchor Technique

This is the practice I use when I feel overwhelmed, irritated, or disconnected from myself. It only takes a minute or two, and it works anywhere.

Step 1: Place your hands

• Right hand over your heart

• Left hand over your solar plexus (your stomach area, the emotional “center” of the body)

This helps your body feel grounded, safe, and connected.

Step 2: Breathe deeply

Take 3 to 5 slow, refreshing breaths, long exhales, feeling your shoulders drop and your whole being soften.

Step 3: Close your eyes & think of one thing that brings you joy

It can be simple, tiny, or even silly.
What matters is that it makes your heart lift, even a little.

Step 4: Smile softly

Even a small smile sends signals to the brain that trigger positive emotional responses.

Step 5: Feel the joy fill your body

Let it expand in your chest.
Let it warm your belly.
Let it rise through your spirit like a gentle wave of light.

This isn’t a bypassing technique.
It’s an anchoring technique.
It helps bring you back home to yourself, even when the world feels heavy.

Why This Works

This daily practice:

• Helps regulate hormonal swings

• Lowers cortisol

• Stabilizes serotonin

• Interrupts spiraling thoughts

• Encourages emotional resilience

• Builds hope

And hope is what keeps us moving through life—hope for love, hope for healing, hope for new experiences, and hope for the moments that remind us we are exactly where we are meant to be.

When you cultivate small joys every day, you’re not ignoring your struggles—you’re creating the inner strength to carry them with more grace.