The Power of Joy – Joy is our constant companion. We just have to ignore the distractions. In the realm of neuroscience, joy is understood not as a fleeting emotion but as a state deeply rooted in the brain’s wiring and chemistry. Your brain is equipped with the capacity to experience and sustain joy, but it requires conscious effort to harness this potential, especially in the face of distractions and stress. And as you know, sources of anxiety-causing diversions are rampant in all our lives.
Our brain’s reward system plays a crucial role in the experience of joy. These areas are responsible for processing pleasurable experiences and releasing dopamine, the neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward. When you engage in activities that align with your passions or achievements, these brain regions become active, and dopamine is released, enhancing your sense of joy.
To connect with the upliftment that joy brings, try shifting your focus away from the noise and towards the present moment. When you let go of the thoughts and worries that pull you into the past or push you into the future, you create space for joy to emerge. I know it may sound trite, but take a deep breath and ground yourself in the here and now.
Appreciate things that often go unnoticed in the rush of daily life. If your commute is long and generally unpleasant for you, take note of the cars that work in ways many of us don’t fully understand, the roads that exist to get you there, your hands to take the wheel, etc. By doing so, you activate your prefrontal cortex, which you may already know that I call your Guru. Your prefrontal cortex regulates your thoughts, actions, and emotions. Your Guru and your joy work hand in hand, and the more that you can bring them into focus, regardless of what is happening, the more these forces will work for you.
Undeniably, today’s professional environments can create numerous distractions that interfere with this process. High-stress levels, constant multitasking, and an overabundance of information and expectations can overwhelm your brain’s reward system. This cognitive overload can reduce your brain’s ability to recognize and appreciate joyful experiences. Essentially, the more you’re distracted by stress or competing demands, the harder it becomes for your brain to fully engage with and savor the joy present in your daily life.
The key to experiencing more joy lies in your ability to ignore the distractions that cloud your perception. Distractions come in many forms—stress, doubt, fear, social media scrolling, binge-watching TV, online shopping, and overindulgence of many things. You can be distracted by the relentless drive for perfection, the fear of failure, or the tendency to equate your worth with your productivity. These things whisper in your ear, either offering you shallow hits of dopamine or telling you that joy is out of reach and that you don’t deserve it. But the truth is, joy is woven into the fabric of your being, always accessible if you simply allow yourself to see it.
To counteract the high expectations of work and allow joy to become a more prominent part of your professional (and personal) experience, it’s helpful to adopt strategies that support your brain’s natural capacity for pleasure. One of my favorite practices is mindfulness. Mindfulness practices, such as meditation and focused breathing, can significantly impact your brain’s reward system by reducing stress and enhancing your ability to experience positive emotions. Did you hear that word: “significantly”?! By simply slowing down, something your brain and body generally want you to do more of anyway, and incorporating very simple mindfulness habits into your routine, you help your brain stay more attuned to joyful experiences ~ and reduce the noise that can obscure them.
A key strategy is to engage in regular, meaningful activities that stimulate your brain’s reward centers. Whether it’s achieving a professional goal, collaborating with colleagues on a creative project, or simply taking a moment to enjoy a well-deserved break, these activities activate the brain’s pleasure pathways and release dopamine. By consciously seeking out and participating in these rewarding activities, you strengthen your brain’s ability to experience and sustain joy. These aren’t the shallow dopamine hits that things like social media provide, which can cause an endless loop of seeking validation and superficial happiness and connections. These are healthy dopamine highs which don’t cause the spikes that lead to emotional seesawing and eventually increased anxiety and depression.
Fostering positive social connections can also enhance your experience of joy. These relationships and exchanges trigger the release of oxytocin, another neurotransmitter linked to feelings of connection and happiness. Building strong relationships with your colleagues, celebrating successes together, and providing support when things get rough can all contribute to a more joyful work environment.
Another important step is to cultivate a sense of gratitude for the opportunities and experiences your work provides. It’s easy to overlook the positives when you’re focused on what needs to be improved or what’s not going according to plan. But by intentionally appreciating the progress you’ve made the skills you’ve developed, and the relationships you’ve built, you reconnect with the joy that accompanies your professional journey. And you teach your brain to want more of these feelings.
Remember, joy is not something that needs to be chased or captured. It’s not a reward you earn after a long struggle. Joy is a constant companion, always by your side, waiting patiently for you to turn your attention towards it. The more you practice tuning out the distractions and embracing the present moment, the more you’ll find that joy is not elusive at all. It’s been with you all along, quietly accompanying you through every step of your journey. Again, all you must do is notice it and work consistently to build an environment where it can thrive.
- Connect with James Gray Robinson:
- More articles from our VIP Executive Contributor, James Gray Robinson.