Breathing Space September 2025

Resilience doesn’t have to be a heavy lift

I’ve been feeling a little overwhelmed lately, both by the news and by a bit of life stuff. I usually react by withdrawing at times like this. But I continue to see how surprisingly powerful it is to seek out the smallest possible things I can do each day to give myself a lift.

Even though these moments are short-lived, I find that they really make a difference, little by little. And plenty of research suggests that recognizing, cultivating, and savoring these bits of happiness builds well-being, resilience, and resourcefulness.

My go-to action is to make a commitment (it’s an easy one) to take one picture a day of something that brings me joy. You always have your phone with you so you are always ready to do this. But the power is in the prompt “something that brings me joy.” It unconsciously creates a pathway in your brain that makes you look for things that bring you joy. And I believe that almost always, you see what you are looking for!

Here are two examples of my recent pics:

My home axe-throwing setup!

I looked up and saw this one day!

Please send me yours if you try this!

The key with any of these tiny joy boosters is to focus on the tiny—the smaller the better. Here are some other ideas you might like.

Look for reverse pet peeves

A pet peeve is something small that disproportionately annoys you. A  reverse pet peeve, then, is something small that brings you disproportionate joy. My personal example of this is that I really hate clutter. So I make it a habit to throw out just one thing a day. It can be as small as a CVS coupon that has expired. That little act makes me truly disproportionately happy!

Schedule a few tiny little joys

My neighbors share a cup of coffee together after work each day (a perfect example of this strategy). It is recommended that you start this practice by listing all of your tiny little joys. Once you’ve done so, try to make one of them a habit at a certain time of day.

Find the sliver

I have written about this idea before. Sometimes the activities that give us big joy, such as vacations, require too much planning, money, time, and effort. And perhaps surprisingly, research shows that the positive benefits of these big things are short-lived.

Finding the sliver means even though you are not on vacation, find a piece of that experience right now. If your perfect vacation time is reading a book on the beach, perhaps you simply take the time to read for 30 minutes while sitting on your deck or lying in your hammock? I have practiced this idea before by getting a 10-minute chair massage when I couldn’t afford a full body massage.

Let me know you are reading these articles by sending me a picture of something small that brings you joy!

Dan

daniel.comer@cuanschutz.edu

Prompted by: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/27/well/happiness-positivity-tiny-little-joys.html