A Story About Finding More Joy & Laughter

In the moment, while sweating and breathing hard on the Orange Theory treadmill, surrounded by other serious runners, I was not necessarily feeling joy and definitely was not laughing. I can’t know what others were feeling, but I do know that I was taking myself and the experience very seriously (I mean, we were being pushed by our coach to go faster and work through the pain!). 

Once I noticed that this serious energy was not helping me with the run, I asked myself “how do I want to feel right now?”. The answer was joy – at being able to break away from work for an exercise, at the sensation of working hard and breaking a sweat, at the acknowledgment for how I’d feel afterwards. 

Then I remembered the times that I completely let go and felt utter joy over the past few weeks, I found myself laughing – often hysterically with tears running down my face. This is a sign that my spirit has been craving more laughter. 

So I began repeating in my head and then whispering out loud: “I am joyful and laugh often”. 

Then I looked back up at myself in the mirror and noticed that my messy bun was flopping up and down on top of my head. There were little hairs hanging off the side, making it look like a bird flying it’s wings behind my head. This silly thing made me laugh right there on the spot. While all this was happening, I was still running at the same pace, but no longer felt uncomfortable. So I amped up my speed and flew through the rest of the exercise!

Sidenote: This may all sound ridiculous, the idea of whispering to myself and giggling while on the treadmill. But it wasn’t so dramatic and no one was paying attention because they were so focused on their own performance, which is how it usually is – people are watching us much less than we often assume in our self-conscious mindset. And secondly, if it’s joy one is feeling inside then it shouldn’t matter if someone else thinks it’s odd – I’d rather the positive benefits of joy/peace/etc. than the social norm of stress/seriousness/tension/etc. any day!

It happens like this sometimes (for myself at least). When I take things so seriously, I tighten up and get in the “just get it over with mindset”. And then, habitually, so many other experiences follow this energy and life passes right on by without actually soaking in all the wonderful things happening in front and within me (funny social moments, delicious food, the smell of things that flood in positive memories, a much needed hug, or the warmth of a hot shower being some).

And the obvious truth is, I don’t consciously want to live my days, weeks, life this way. I bet you don’t either!

So in the recognition that I haven’t been as full-bodied joyful as I’d like to be or laughing as much as is my nature, I decide to make the change – starting the mantra back up the moment I realize I’m going back to “so serious”. 

Often times, when we get in these stuck head spaces (which determines our energy, words, actions, relationships, whole life), we don’t necessarily need TO DO anything differently. It might even mean that we DON’T DO FOR A MOMENT, pausing long enough to notice where the stuck-ness is coming from and then change the perspective from which we are seeing the experience at hand.

The Dalai Lama of course said it best: “Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions”. So if there are aspects of your life that are not making your happy, check in as to where it is stemming from, and you may very well find that it’s based on something that you yourself can change – whether the trigger is from your own mind or something else outside of you that can be removed.

If you’re not sure what’s missing, the message could arise in the most unexpected situation (like in an exercise class!), so always stay open to hearing and seeing the signs that are there to guide you forward.