By Jared Keller — 2017
Coloring books and ball pits are much-needed therapy for the inner child in all of us.
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CLEAR ALL
Pleasure can be a boon or a burden, depending on our relationship to it. It can leaven laborious days, or lead us to waste them. The pleasures of a mild stimulant such as caffeine can be harmless or even beneficial, but the pleasures of amphetamines can be deadly.
It’s hard to be a joyful Black creative on a good day; to pour your being into beautiful work amid ongoing injustices is already taxing. And during the current unprecedented and uncertain times, reclaiming and protecting that Black joy may feel particularly difficult.
Many of us treat joy like the good china, only warranted on special occasions. Even if we know it is within our reach, we may not see it is within our control.
If you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, don’t cut yourself off from other people, says Kelly McGonigal. Instead, double down on your capacity for connection.
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One way to find balance is to separate work from your outside life entirely, and leave science in the lab. But I see it differently: I have found joy and balance by joining my research and hobbies.
The sun doesn’t stop shining just because there are clouds in the sky. Our buddhanature is always present and available, even when life gets difficult.
What is happiness, and is it achievable? Moreover, is the pursuit of happiness really where we ought to be putting our efforts, or as people of faith and morals, are there other more virtuous pursuits that we should be pursuing?
Envy can be turned into joy for the very person you envy.
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"Like certain timeless wisdom, there’s a sutra right at the very beginning of The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali—that wonderful collection of wisdom from Hindu philosophy—that defines my ongoing mental struggles so simply, I can actually find it a little aggravating." - Robert Kopecky
Gabby Bernstein believes that the best (the only!) way to start the New Year is with joy.