10 Ways to Tap into Joy

For obvious reasons, I have been actively working on tapping into joy in my everyday.

This year has been bloody tough, and although I'm grateful for certain experiences, I also recognise that it has been DAMN hard to keep our mindsets in check, and our mental health thriving.

So, in lieu of a big, rambling story about me and joy (we've recently committed to each other, and it's fab), I want to share a list of my go-to antidotes for shitty moods, jazzing up admin days and sparking joy in our daily lives.

I can't promise ya any miracles, but I CAN promise a rise in endorphins, periods of flow and pockets of fun. Enjoy!

1. DANCING.

Christ, I love dancing, and I miss dancing at gigs and festivals a lot. If you're not a natural dancer (like myself) then I encourage you to have a crack at couch dancing (yeah, like in Clueless) or dancing whilst sitting at your laptop. Mandatory add-ons include loud music, a private space (so you can get wild) and a judgement free zone. Who cares if you're shit, have a boogie and thank me later!*

*I am laptop dancing as I write this newsletter and it's bloody marvellous. Movement is good for ALL parts of the body, and–okay, no more preaching, must continue writing this for you.

2. CURATE GREAT PLAYLISTS.

Seriously, why are you leaving your music taste up to radio stations and Spotify shuffles? If you don't already, make playlists for: dancing, movement/exercise, creating, nostalgia, pick-me-ups and sing alongs. They'll probably overlap at some point, and that's okay. The point is to listen to a constant stream of things YOU adore. Without ads, if you can afford it. And then make a habit of playing said playlist/s at least once a day.

3. GO FOR A DRIVE.

Man, I miss going for long, luxurious drives. The first four years of my twenties were dedicated to hour long drives to see my family / boyfriend / beaches and I'm a little sad that my free thinking / singing time has been limited for the past few months. If you can, go for a drive this week (preferably alone) for at least 20 minutes. It doesn't matter where you go, or even if you get out of the car – just drive, with your choice of soundtrack (music / podcasts / audiobooks / silence) up loud, your phone on silent and doing your best to be present and forget about all the shit waiting for you at home.

4. MAKE SOME SHITTY ART.

I will forever be indebted to Amie from @inspiredtowrite for introducing me to the concept of shitty art – and encouraging me to make some! Going into an experience and knowing that you're going to be bad at it can be daunting (at best), but when you approach it in celebration of being shit, a light switch turns on. My current mediums of shitty art are painting and hand building pottery and they put me out of my comfort zone and I'm so crap and I adore them anyway.

5. GO OUTSIDE (ASAP).

Yeah, look, we both know how grand it is to be in nature, and yet most of us rarely make time for it. But I'm telling ya, it's an absolute game changer when it comes to supporting our mental health and increasing joy levels. Spending time outdoors looks different for everyone, and absolutely does NOT need to be solely for exercise (how boring). I've taken to long, leisurely hours in my hammock, or laying on my picnic blanket in the backyard with a cuppa and a good book. Slow walks are also nice, but it's currently magpie season and I'm shit scared to do that atm. But if you're somewhere without magpies, give that a crack.

6. DIVE INTO NOSTALGIA.

Childhood movies (Harry Potter or anything with Hilary Duff does the trick for me), SingStar playlists, birthday party snacks (fairy bread! honey joys! coconut ice!), treat dinners (chips, cheese and gravy, always), books you worshipped as a teenager, and flicking through old holiday snaps have a special kind of magical power to induce nostalgia and transport us back to a simpler time. Whenever I'm feeling shit, you can bet $10 that I'm watching 10 Things I Hate About You, eating popcorn and Malteasers (mixed, duh) and listening to the music of my youth. No, it won't fix your problems, but it will make you forget for a while, and sometimes that's just as important.

7. DO SOMETHING FOR YOUR INNER CHILD.

Chances are, your inner child is depleted. And why wouldn’t it be? It wasn’t built for the adult world. It wants to play, be silly, giggle, dream and nap. The society that we exist in doesn’t (at large) support the cultivation and support of our inner child, so we have to do it on our own time. A great place to start is making a list of all the things you wanted to do as a kid/teenager but couldn’t. Then, start ticking that list off! Wanted a pony? Sign up for horseback riding lessons! Wanted to go to Disneyland? Start a savings account especially for it! Wanted to go to space? Explore NASA’s website and go nuts with all their interactive kids programs. Or, start even smaller. Today I bought my inner child a giant iced donut with sprinkles and am eating it as I write this article. She’s very happy and overjoyed that we get to eat a donut on a TUESDAY for NO REASON AT ALL. Joy, man.

8. VISIT YOUR SACRED SPACE.

I have to thank Julia Cameron, creative wizard and author of The Artist’s Way, for this one. A sacred space is going to look completely different (and sometimes weird) for all of us. It doesn’t have to be traditionally sacred, no sir, or make any sense to anyone but you. My sacred spaces include: the ocean, bookstores, libraries, the garden section at Bunnings, cosy cafes and record stores. Whenever I go to one of these places, I instantly feel calmer, more grounded, delighted and like I’m exactly where I’m meant to be. Make a habit of visiting one of your sacred spaces each week, and make a date out of it! You have a special, sacred, wonderful space that sings to your soul – celebrate that!

9. TAKE YOURSELF OUT ON A DATE.

If you follow Rust on Instagram, you know that I looooove an Artist’s Date (thank you, Julia!). It’s something that we can all do, regardless of whether or not we consider ourselves to be artists (although we all are, embrace it love). Artist or not, dating yourself is one of the most joyful, decadent, thrilling experiences you can have in public (or without throwing yourself out of an airplane). The date is automatically going to be brilliant because you get to do exactly what you like! Leave the house whenever you want, and return whenever you’re ready. Visit your sacred spaces, drink something hot, slowly, buy yourself a knick knack, go to the movies, wander along a boardwalk, eat some ice cream, try on a fabulous jacket, spend a little too long trawling through a bookstore, visit the aquarium, have a pint with lunch, lay in the park watching the clouds – whatever! Regardless of location or budget, if you are able to leave the house freely, you can go on a date.

10. WRITE DOWN ALL YOUR OUTRAGEOUS DREAMS.

This is one of my favourite prompts from The Creative’s Companion. Releasing our inhibitions on the page is one of THE most cathartic acts we can do as humans. I don’t care if you have to burn or hide it afterwards (although, maybe look in why you’re doing that – they are your dreams, after all), the aim is to jot down 10-20 outrageous, silly, impossible dreams that you’ve been keeping inside, and spend a moment looking at the page afterwards. Look at all the magic you’ve imagined, the ideas you’ve attracted, the hopes you have for your life! Are they really impossible, or has someone told you they are? Okay, so we might not be able to be Jedi Knights yet, but can we embody a sense of the Jedi in our everyday, say, with meditating? Or perhaps you go out and buy yourself an electric lightsaber. Do what you need to do. Once you’ve written down your dreams, observed and embraced them, start stealing moments to think about them as if they’re possible and achievable.

Are you feeling joyful yet?