Feeling joy of life, simply being happy in the here and now, that’s what most people want. But many screw their desires and expectations too high and experience the opposite. However, joie de vivre can be influenced.
What is joie de vivre?
The term joie de vivre describes an irrepressible inner feeling of joy in one’s life. The term joie de vivre describes an irrepressible inner feeling of joy in one’s life. People describe it differently. For some it is a pleasant feeling of inner relaxation, others have the feeling of being able to pull out trees, some experience it as exuberant energy. Everyone experiences joie de vivre in their own way. It can arise from within ourselves without anything special having happened, but it can just as easily be a reaction to external events that we evaluate positively. The feeling of joie de vivre is therefore also dependent on the thoughts we have. Although joy of life is felt and achieved differently by everyone, it can be increased by active intervention. Thereby it depends mainly on two interacting aspects. On the one hand, certain conditions that enable a carefree life (these in turn vary from individual to individual) and, on the other hand, the right degree of exposure to these conditions. For example, if someone enjoys playing tennis, the person should exercise this condition of sporting activity from time to time. However, in order for enjoyment of life to arise from this, it is also crucial that the activity be optimally demanding. For example, the tennis partner should play at a level that is not too boring (because bad) or too demanding (because very good).
Function and task
Enjoyment of life is an important source of strength and energy in life. Children are still able to enjoy small things in life. In adults, feeling joy in life is much more strongly linked to inner attitudes toward and evaluation of situations. Fears, worries or depressive moods can dampen the joy of life. It is thus, among other things, head-controlled and can therefore also be influenced by thoughts in a positive way, for example by re-evaluating situations. Who does not direct the focus only on negative things, contributes thereby much to the mental well-being. In addition to the inner attitude, there are a number of activities that have a positive influence on the joy of life, e.g:
- Take time for themselves
- Finding out what is close to your heart and fun. About singing, dancing and listening to music.
- Physical activity
- Reading a book
- Get involved with other people
There are many other possibilities such as photography, playing, keeping in touch with friends and acquaintances and much more, because everyone must find out for themselves what brings them joy. It also helps to be aware of beautiful moments of a day in the evening and review them again. It is also important to accept oneself in one’s own individuality and to value oneself. However, joie de vivre cannot be a permanent state. Anyone who strives for it will be disappointed. Feelings are always subject to lively ups and downs. They cannot be forced. It is also part of life to sometimes go through a valley, from which we can then set out again strengthened to new shores.
Diseases and ailments
When losing people through separation, divorce or death, it is normal to temporarily no longer feel joy in life, because first the pain must be processed. This can take quite a while, several years for some. Chronic or prolonged illnesses also have a massive impact on the lives of those affected, so that they can lose their enjoyment of life. Here it would be important to find a balance that gives them something positive, something strengthening beyond the illness, so that they can more easily endure the limitations that the illness brings with it. The general loss of zest for life is usually a sign of depression if it has no external causes. When the mood is permanently clouded and inner emptiness and sadness take up most of the space, every person eventually reaches a point where nothing brings them joy. Everything seems to have no meaning anymore, neither contact with other people nor a hobby that was always fun.The loss of joy in life is not without danger, because a life in which joy is no longer felt is increasingly perceived as gray in gray and meaningless. Many people then get into a tangible crisis of meaning and think of suicide in such situations because they no longer see a way out of the downward spiral. Those who have reached this point usually do not make it out of the gloomy valley alone, but need help and understanding from family members and friends. The support of a psychologist is also very advisable and helpful in such cases. Burnout can severely affect one’s zest for life. Anyone who is forced to constantly go beyond their physical or mental limit, is bullied professionally or privately, is exhausted at some point and no longer enjoys anything. Everything that was fun before becomes a burden. In most cases, physical and mental exhaustion merge, and those affected only feel drained and no longer have the strength to tackle things on their own initiative. It is often only with professional help that they manage to manage their energy in such a way that in the future they pay more attention to their energy reserves and no longer overexert themselves. Underchallenge, like overchallenge, can also cause physical and mental symptoms and rob people of their zest for life.
