21 Days of Joy - What's Next?
Did you follow along with the 21 Days of Joy adventure? It was fantastic! But now that the 21 days are over, where do we go from here?
First of all, I’m going to suggest a practice that I’ve found very helpful over the past 5 years. It’s called Tiny Daily Joys, and it’s something that my friend and fellow artist Anna Whitmore and I developed in the early days of the pandemic. It’s deceptively simple, and will only take you about 5 minutes a day, but over time will shift your relationship to noticing and sharing Joy. Here’s how it works:
find a friend, family member, colleague, etc to pair with
every day, send each other a brief text of something that gave you Joy that day. Include a photo or a link if applicable.
repeat daily
That’s it!
Personally, it helped get me through the very anxious early days of living through pandemic lockdown in Toronto. Even the crappiest days held some glimmer of Joy. Knowing I had to report a Joy every day made me keep my eyes open for it. If I hadn’t noticed one by dinnertime, I knew I needed to take some sort of small action to make Joy happen in that day. Witnessing and sharing in the Joy of your texting partner is also Joyful. Anna and I kept this up for about a year, and then the practice fell away during the chaos of both of us moving to the country. Over the last 4 years, I’ve been doing Tiny Daily Joy texts with another friend and fellow artist, Marion Younan. Both of these women were on my Joymongering team over the past month. I chose to ask them because we had already developed beautiful relationships of supporting each other in noticing Joy.
And now, to help keep things Joyful in your coming days and weeks, here are some Bonus Joy prompts:
Dance!
Easy: watch videos of people dancing Joyfully.
Less easy: dance! In the kitchen, in a class, at the grocery store - wherever you feel comfortable!
Why?: Moving your body Joyfully makes you feel happy. Doing it with others creates a sense of community connection, which also makes you feel happy. Share dance videos to spread the Joy!
Plant something!
Easy: start a little container or window box. Plant something like calendula, which is relatively easy and will result in bright cheerful flowers. Or plant a cherry tomato seedling, so you can have tasty treats in a few months :)
Less easy: start a garden. It can be a raised bed, or no dig, or whatever style you feel up to the effort of. Think of vegetables you like to eat, or flowers you love to look at or smell, and see which ones work in your climate. A pack of seeds is usually under $5, so it’s relatively low stakes to try a few and see what works!
Why?: Watching something grow gives feelings of hope for the future. Being responsible for it’s care gives you the feeling of empowerment to create a better future. There’s also research around the effects on your brain of microscopic particles in the soil, and working in the soil is soothing to your brain as a result. Plus, you end up with tasty and or pretty plants! Garden with a friend, or join a community garden group or club, and you’ll add in the social connection Joy!
“There’s No Place Like Home”, 48x36” or 60x40” sizes available
Enjoy Art!
Easy: look at different art online, or look through art books you have at home or in your local library or bookstore.
Less easy: go to a gallery! It could be a big public gallery like the National Gallery in Ottawa or the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto, or it could be a wonderful local gallery like Blue Crow Gallery (Toronto) or Oxtongue Craft Cabin and Gallery (Dwight, ON). Or, there are studio tours! (I myself will be participating in the fabulous Madawaska Valley Studio Tour July 19-20 and October 4-5, 2025). You might even want to purchase a favourite piece of artwork to enjoy in your home :) These will also add in the Joy of supporting local small businesses! It doesn’t have to be visual art - how about a night out at the theater? The ballet? The symphony? Or live music at a local pub? There are SO many options!
Why?: Okay yes - I’m biased. But experiencing art takes us out of our heads, away from immediate worries, and invites us to consider ourselves and our times in the context of all selves and all times. It shows us things we may never otherwise see, and connects us to our fellow humans in a way that’s almost magical. Art brings us together. And holy crap could we use a bit more of that right now!
Relax Deeply
I have three suggestions here, and they all tie together:
- take a Yin Yoga class, either in real life or online
- experience a Sound Bath (in real life if you can, or you can find many of them on YouTube)
- book a session of Floatation Therapy (sensory deprivation); this involves lying in a salt-water tank and just being there for the duration of the session (usually 60 minutes). Like meditation, it sounds simple to the point of boring. Like meditation, it will ground your brain and soothe your nervous system. Unlike meditation, you should do a bit of research and/or talk to your doctor to make sure this is a good idea for you.
All three of these things work to activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which is the “rest and digest” part (vs. the more commonly talked about “fight or flight” part.). This helps restore balance to your brain, so that you can deal with stressful things with a clearer head.
Have any other Joyful activity suggestions? I’d love to hear them in the comments below!
**If you are able and feel so inspired, you can make a donation to support my work on this Joymongering project - any and all amounts are welcome and much appreciated!**