Invite More Joy
When was the last time you truly laughed? I mean the big belly laugh that makes your cheeks hurt and brings tears to your eyes. When did you last feel that little spark that comes from being so connected to the moment that your whole body seems to glow with the joy and pleasure of being alive?
In today's world, that kind of immediate connection can be surprisingly hard to find. We are constantly connected to our phones, our work, our responsibilities, and the endless list of things that need our attention. Even when our bodies are resting, our minds can be somewhere else.
So perhaps joy is something we need to intentionally cultivate.
Once you develop a taste for joy and pleasure in your life, you may find yourself seeking it out more often. You begin to notice the beautiful sunset, linger over coffee with a friend, turn up the music in the kitchen, or say yes to an invitation simply because it sounds fun.
Joy becomes something you recognize and make room for.
Joy Is Part of Whole-Person Health
I see this often when working with my clients. In the beginning, we tend to focus on the basics—nutrition, movement, sleep, stress, and creating healthy habits that support their goals.
But once those practices become more integrated into their lives, something interesting often happens. They begin to look beyond what they should be doing for their health and start asking deeper questions.
What brings me joy?
When did I stop doing the things I love?
What am I doing all of this for?
Whole-person health has to include joy.
It isn't enough to simply live a healthy life if we aren't also experiencing the life we are working so hard to create.
This can be particularly meaningful for women in midlife. We can become so accustomed to taking care of everyone else, managing our responsibilities, and checking things off the list that we reach the end of the day feeling accomplished—but depleted.
Sometimes we're so used to going through the motions that we forget to ask ourselves what actually makes us happy.
But what if there could be more?
More color.
More laughter.
More connection.
More moments when you feel completely and wonderfully alive.
Finding Your Way Back to Joy
You don't have to completely change your life to begin cultivating more joy. Start with curiosity.
Ask yourself:
When was a time when I felt most alive?
What were you doing? Who were you with? Where were you? And what did it feel like in your body?
Then ask yourself:
What experiences have made me think, “I want more of that in my life”?
Maybe it was traveling, spending time with friends, being creative, dancing, being outdoors, learning something new, or simply having time when nobody needed anything from you.
Pay attention to what comes up.
And don't underestimate the small things. Joy doesn't have to come from a big vacation or a major life change. Sometimes it's a walk on a beautiful morning, flowers on your kitchen table, music that makes you dance, or an unexpected conversation that makes you laugh.
These moments may seem small, but they remind us that we aren't simply moving through our lives.
We are living them.
Give Yourself Permission to Want More
Perhaps the first step toward cultivating more joy is giving yourself permission to want it.
You aren't being selfish.
You aren't being greedy.
You don't have to earn it by first completing everything on your to-do list.
You are allowed to want a life that feels good to live.
Midlife can be an especially beautiful time to ask ourselves what that might look like. So much of our earlier lives can be shaped by expectations—what we should do, who we should be, and what others need from us.
Now we have an opportunity to ask a different question:
What makes me feel alive?
So start there. Notice what lights you up. Make space for it. Say yes a little more often.
Because joy isn't an indulgence. It is part of being fully alive.
And sometimes finding more joy isn't about becoming someone new.
It's about finding your way back to the parts of yourself that have been waiting to be remembered.
If you're ready to explore what brings you joy and create more space for it in your life, I'd love to help. I've developed a roadmap specifically for women in midlife who are ready to reconnect with themselves, cultivate more joy, and live this season with greater intention.
You don't have to wait for joy to find you. You can begin making room for it today.
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