Get to know yourself through your emotions

Joy is one of the basic emotions - one that arises spontaneously when we experience something good, important or pleasant for us. It is an inner, warm "yes" to life - a signal that we are close to something that nourishes, supports and matters to us.

In joy we feel more lightness, gratitude and positive energy. A natural need arises to pause at this moment, to be more present and to share the experience with others.

The world may then appear beautiful to us, and we may feel greater harmony with it and a sense of unity.

Joy can encourage us toward creative spontaneity and support creative action. We may then feel like dancing, singing, painting or cooking something entirely new.

When we try to hold on to joy at all costs, tension and a fear of losing it can appear. We may then start to seek it in stimulants or in quick, intense pleasures, trying in this way to regulate our emotional state. This, however, brings only a momentary lift in mood and in some cases can lead to addiction and to a decline in health - both mental and physical.

Joy is often confused with happiness. A mature way of experiencing joy is to let it be present, to draw from it and at the same time to accept that emotions naturally change. Joy can therefore be a part of happiness, but it is not the same thing. Happiness is a broader experience of our life as a whole.

Similar:Happiness, Cheerfulness, Gladness, Delight, Ecstasy