8 skills to cultivate joy

I ran across this article 'From Gloom to Gratitude: 8 Skills To Cultivate Joy' while waiting to get off work today. While it appears to be geared more towards caregivers - particularly those with the stressful job of taking care of a loved one with dementia - it seems quite useful for just about anyone dealing with stress or gloom.

Personally, I seem to have found myself stressing over stress lately - what with a new line of equipment and more responsibility at work, and some at church - and I thought this worth remembering for myself.

You can read the entire article by clicking above (it's fairly short), but here is a quick summary of the eight techniques used in study that they found helped cultivate joy:

1. Take a moment to identify one positive event each day.
2. Tell someone about the positive event or share it on social media. This can help you savor the moment a little longer.
3. Start a daily gratitude journal. Aim to find little things you're grateful for, such as a good cup of coffee, a pretty sunrise or nice weather.
4. Identify a personal strength and reflect on how you've used this strength today or in recent weeks.
5. Set a daily goal and track your progress. "This is based on research that shows when we feel progress towards a goal, we have more positive emotions," Moskowitz says. The goal should not be too lofty. You want to be able to perceive progress.
6. Try to practice "positive reappraisal": Identify an event or daily activity that is a hassle. Then, try to reframe the event in a more positive light. Example: If you're stuck in traffic, try to savor the quiet time. If you practice this enough, it can start to become a habit.
7. Do something nice for someone else each day. These daily acts of kindness can be as simple as giving someone a smile or giving up your seat on a crowded train. Research shows we feel better when we're kind to others.
8. Practice mindfulness by paying attention to the present moment. You can also try a 10-minute breathing exercise that uses a focus on breathing to help calm the mind.