My Joy Toolbox
2020 was quite the year, and it surely needs no introduction or explanation. While the last couple months or so provided me some respite and many reasons for joy—autumn, my birthday (Sagittarius, baby), the holiday cheer, and the hopefulness of a new year—recent events that transpired quite literally in my backyard have brought me down to a new low. Until, I read a post by writer and artist Martine Thompson featured on my Friday Girls’ Night In newsletter, “These 5 Things in My ‘Joy Toolbox’ Are Getting Me Through Winter,” which inspired me to reflect on what has been in my joy toolbox this past year. So I wanted to share the things that I have been returning to over and over again whenever I’m feeling down, and as a result, they have subconsciously been incorporated into my routine to not only keep my joy but also sustain it in these challenging times. In building my toolbox, I thought about the four main chemicals in our brain that are responsible for the emotions that we …