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Appreciation: Building a foundation of joy

The fastest way for your brain to grow joy is to practice appreciation. Brain science has confirmed this, but the Bible has urged us to build the habit of appreciation for millennia. We enter into God’s gates with praise and his courts with thanksgiving” (Psalm 100:4). In Paul’s epistle to the Philippians, which he wrote from prison, he encourages his readers to practice gratitude which he practices while he reflects on and prays for the people with joy.

Research shows that the practice of getting your brain into a state of appreciation for five consecutive minutes two or three times each day can do more to transform a fear house into a joy house than nearly anything else you can do. Some of us confuse saying thank you with feeling appreciation. I can choose to say thank you as a duty or an act of obedience, but that is not the same as letting your mind and body enter into a state of appreciation. Moving beyond the simple choice to say thank you into the practice of enjoying the small things in life can be life changing.

To grow a life of joy, we can start by thinking of past, present, even future moments of joy. This means we reflect on the things, people and interactions we look forward to with excitement. We spend time actively reflecting on the positive joy thoughts for several minutes. We reflect on the memories of joy that make us smile. When we relive these memories can reactivate the same feelings of joy as when we first experienced them. It just takes a little time to enter into the experience.

Practice Exercise:

Remembering times of joy from the past activates a joy response in our mind and body. This primes us for more joy in the present. Take several minutes to reflect on special moments of joy from the past week. Share your joy with another person in the form of a conversational story, text, picture, or phone call.