CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Pandemic fatigue and even sadness and depression are battles many people are fighting during this time of uncertainty and social distancing. It can be hard to find joy in the tough times, but experts say it's always there whether we know how to find it or not.
That is the topic of a new book by an author and adversity coach from Chapel Hill. Vanessa Joy Walker sat down with Spectrum News 1 Anchor Caroline Blair for a look at her new book, Make Room for Joy: Choose Hope, Discover Purpose and Cultivate Joy in the Middle of Life's Most Complicated Seasons.
Walker says on a scale of one to five, the “Joy Quotient” lets one get real with where our joy stands at any given time:
- No joy. The world feels dark, and I feel hopeless.
- A touch of joy. If you stop to think about it I know it’s there, but it’s hard to recognize.
- A flash of joy. This flash keeps appearing regardless of what I’m doing or feeling.
- Hope-fueled joy. I am turning my face toward hope and I feel grounded and rooted in joy. I am consciously emptying myself out of unresolved fear and bitterness to make room for joy. Here, I am experiencing peace even if the world around me is noisy.
- A generous joy. I’m bursting with joy and want to share it! I know what I believe in and have faith that my joy will continue to be full. I don’t have to hoard joy because the more I spread it the more intensely I experience it.
She says through the process of repeated self-check-ins, you can begin to see where you stand on that scale. And only then can you take steps to make room for additional joy. That single step allows joy to grow in both good and bad times. And the more practice you have recognizing joy, the more often it shows up without a search.