THE JOY EXPERIMENT BLOG

Finding Joy: Your Way, Your Terms

Jul 06, 2025

Joy isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s not always loud or Instagrammable. Sometimes, joy whispers. It hides in quiet places, under layers of shoulds and shame, waiting for us to come home to ourselves.

For me, joy lives in the in-between moments:
When the sun hits the leaves just right.
When a woman sees her portrait and whispers, “I didn’t know I could look like that.”
When someone finally stops asking for permission to take up space.

According to positive psychology, joy isn’t something we chase—it’s something we cultivate. It grows when we live in alignment with our values, experience connection, and feel a sense of meaning. In other words, joy doesn’t arrive when life is perfect. It shows up when we choose to be present.

So how do you find it?

Start with nature.
Put your phone down. Go outside. Touch the earth. Let your nervous system reset in a place that doesn’t ask you to be anyone but yourself. Nature is a mirror—it reflects who we are without judgment.

Tune into your body.
Not in a “fix it” way—in a feel it way. Ask what feels nourishing. Ask what feels true. Boudoir photography is one of the ways I help women reconnect with their bodies not as objects—but as homes. Sacred, worthy, and powerful.

Practice what psychologists call "savoring."
It’s a tool to help you stretch joy out longer—pausing to truly notice when something feels good. A sip of coffee. A belly laugh. A breeze. Let yourself feel it. That’s joy training.

Create experiences that honor who you are.
Maybe that’s journaling. Maybe it’s a solo hike. Maybe—just maybe—it’s standing in the woods, camera clicking, reclaiming your power one frame at a time.

You don’t need to earn joy. You don’t need to prove you deserve it. You are joy. You’ve just been taught to forget.

So consider this blog a reminder. A breadcrumb trail back to yourself.

Because when we find our joy, we also find our strength. And that changes everything.

 

Where are you finding joy these days? Share it—or simply take a moment to notice it. That’s where the real magic begins.

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