Discover practical ways to embrace joy in everyday life through wandering and spontaneous adventures. Explore how joy differs from mere happiness, highlighting its deeper roots in presence and curiosity. Rediscover the importance of play in adulthood, shifting focus from competition to enjoyment. Listen to personal stories that emphasize mindfulness and unplanned exploration as pathways to joy. Engage with these enriching concepts and prepare for a journey of joy and connection.
Cultivating joy can be achieved by practicing presence and curiosity, especially through the transformative act of getting lost in experiences.
Emphasizing the importance of play in adulthood helps enhance well-being by allowing individuals to enjoy activities without the pressure of competition.
Deep dives
Instagram Teen Accounts for Safety
Instagram has introduced teen accounts that offer automatic protections for young users. These accounts restrict who can contact teens and regulate the type of content they can view. The initiative is aimed at fostering a safer online environment as teens navigate the platform, similar to ensuring they wear protective gear when engaging in sports. This enhancement emphasizes the importance of parental guidance in the digital age, as families ensure their children can enjoy social media while minimizing potential risks.
The Importance of Joy in Adversity
In the face of personal challenges, Stephen Petro discovered the transformative power of finding joy even during difficult times. After the loss of his parents, the separation from his husband, and his sister's cancer diagnosis, he began a project where he captured moments of beauty and joy in his daily life through photography. This endeavor not only connected him with others who resonated with the search for happiness, but it also sparked his interest in the concept of joy itself, leading him to write a book. His insights reveal that joy can be cultivated actively, serving as a vital lifeline during life's darkest moments.
Rediscovering Play for Joy
As adults, individuals often neglect the value of play, associating it solely with childhood. However, embracing activities for joy rather than competition can significantly enhance one’s sense of well-being. Following a reflective period after the pandemic, Stephen turned to tennis, enjoying the process instead of focusing solely on improvement or winning. This approach to play emphasizes showing up, maintaining curiosity, and finding pleasure in activities without the pressure of performance, fostering deeper connections and enriching life experiences.
In this second class in our course on finding joy, host Cristina Quinn explores practical exercises to help you embrace joy in everyday life. Steven Petrow, author of “The Joy You Make” and a contributing columnist for The Post, shares how things like wandering without a destination and rediscovering play can open the door to more joy, even during life’s toughest moments.
Steven helps you learn how to cultivate joy through presence and curiosity, the transformative power of “getting lost” to create unexpected moments of connection, and how to embrace play — without the pressure to win.