Love Yourself! newsletter # 11 – It’s our joy and we need it now!

Do you remember that old JG Wentworth commercial, where the people are yelling “it’s my money and I need it now!”? That’s how I feel about joy in my life.

I’m trying to stop feeling like I have to earn my joy. I’m not talking about using things I enjoy as a positive motivator like getting a smoothie after the gym or using the promise of a video game as a carrot for finishing my work for the day. I’m talking about that toxic nonsense where I can’t do this thing that would help me clear my head and supply me with some dopamine like paint or go for a walk because I haven’t done all of the things I need to do, but I’m so exhausted and burnt out that I can’t do the things I need to do, so I don’t get to do the thing that might bring me joy.

Are you guilty of any of that? Let’s try and stop that silliness. It’s our joy. We deserve it now. I think the key is realizing those self-care things, those things that bring us joy are need-to-dos. You know, the whole “put your oxygen mask on first/fill your own cup so you can take care of others” thing?

Not so we can take care of others, but because that’s what we deserve, for us, for our own wellbeing. It likely means you will be in a better mental state to take care of your family, still, that’s just a nice bonus, not the sole reason you should indulge in things that bring you joy. Being a human is hard, we should be soaking up all the good we can because the hard stuff never stops and doesn’t care if we are prepared or not.

So who cares if there is a sink full of dishes but you really just want to binge-watch Ted Lasso and color in a coloring book? Relax, take that time, and do it for yourself.

It’s our joy and we need it now!

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joy

Author

  • Nikki

    Nikki is a photographer, writer, artist, and advocate of radical self-love. She writes about mental health, gaming, sex, and inclusivity.

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