Don’t put off joy until “later”, when you have dealt with “all” sins

“Always rejoice!” - says the Apostle Paul. But why should a Christian rejoice when most of his life is spent fighting sins? Is there time for fun?

Collage by Dmitry Petrov

What is the balance between repentance and joy, reflects the rector of the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian on Maroseyka, Archpriest Fyodor Borodin .

Happiness is simple

To the question of what joy is, each person will answer in his own way. For some it is the smile of a loved one, and for others it is the taste of vanilla ice cream. There is no universal recipe for happiness. The formula for searching for it is to find things, events and people that bring pleasure to you. Try writing a list of personal reasons to be happy right now. Add any points that come to your mind. These can be specific people, or specific places or activities. If you want to learn how to enjoy life, don't be shy about craving certain foods or flavors.

The Russian soul lives in the future

Photo: Pavel Smertin

It seems to me that the inability to rejoice is also a characteristic of the Russian mentality.

We always have some kind of super-tasks, we are always focused on the future and do not see the present. We say: we will be happy when we enlighten the whole world, when all enemies, all enemies disappear. Thinking “about the main thing”, we don’t notice anything good around us.

Here is our church - until recently it was closed, and no one could go here, but now it has been restored, and on Sundays we have 180 people receiving communion. Or even 30 years ago, a priest could not give a person the Gospel to read, but today there is a lot of different literature.

What a Sunday school in the Soviet Union - you could go to jail for this! And now - please. This is our Russian property; probably, everything is not enough for us.

We need to solve all the problems, but because of this we often miss the small, beautiful, bright things that are today's miracle.

We all dream of how one day we will clear away all our sins, all the garbage, and then we will live a real Christian life. But life goes on here and now, and there is so much joy in it, but it is important to see and appreciate it, and not to neglect its “smallness”.

This imbalance arose, it seems to me, also because in the 90s our Church consisted of 97% neophytes. And during the period of neophyte, a person is inclined to attribute spiritual gifts to himself and “fly away” a little. He does not yet have the skill of repentance, sobriety, that is, the foundation of spiritual life. A person needs to be helped, accustom him to this - that’s why they talked so often about repentance.

But listen, at least 30 years have passed since then! Most of us have already built the foundation; it’s time to build a house. And this house, that is, spiritual life, absolutely must be beautiful, so that another person looks and thinks: “I want the same” and also begins his path to God. Such “construction” is a huge creativity, a real adult spiritual life, which, of course, still needs to be grown into.

Avoid Negativity

Having found all the good things in your life, don’t be lazy to figure out the bad ones too. What makes you upset and worried most often? If it's all about the little things, finding a solution is not so difficult. Get rid of faulty appliances or things that simply irritate you for one reason or another. The same should be done if a specific person acts as an irritant. Minimize communication with a colleague or acquaintance who does not respect you, insults you without reason, or belittles your dignity. There are other situations - communication does not carry direct negativity, but it is after meeting with a specific person that you feel depressed and disappointed. You should also meet with such friends as rarely as possible. Do you want to know how to get joy from life every day? So here’s the first tip: minimize all kinds of negative stimuli and try to intelligently try to avoid situations that can ruin your mood.

Happiness is within each of us

A famous saying goes: “The pessimist’s glass is half empty, the optimist’s glass is half full.” Indeed, a lot depends on perception. Did you have to get up early? Hurry up, lift your head from the pillow, a cup of delicious coffee and a new day full of various events awaits you. Simple joys are available to us in any situation and at any moment in life. When it rains outside, you can sit gloomily at home and curse the weather for ruining all your plans, or admire the pattern of drops on the windows. Learn to see beauty in simple things and enjoy the little things. It is also useful to reward yourself with something pleasant for personal victories or to console yourself after not the most successful events. Rewards don’t have to be financial - it’s nice, of course, to buy some new things if you’ve completed your weekly work quota in one day. But believe me, an unplanned walk, a favorite dish for lunch or a decision to go to bed early is no worse.

The simple joys of life: 170 reasons to rejoice

Take a deep breath of spring air.
Immerse yourself in the sounds of your favorite music.
Daydream for a few minutes before falling into deep sleep.
Allow yourself to eat several servings of your favorite ice cream.
When promoting ideas and projects, look for new ways to do this.
Celebrate an insignificant, but such a pleasant victory.

We so rarely notice small joys
There is always a reason for joy, for example, to experience satisfaction from a job well done.
What a joy in life it is to simply sit on the seashore and look into the distance.
Find a forgotten anti-stress coloring book and immerse yourself in it.
To experience the joy of life is to purchase a new book by your favorite author.
Find time to watch a series that you have been wanting to watch for a long time.
The joy of pets greeting you from work.
A special feeling of comfort when it’s raining outside.
Fluffy soft snow that you look at from the window of a warm room.
The infinity of space that stretches under your feet when you stand on the top of a mountain.
Minutes spent with loved ones.
A feeling of peace and harmony in the soul.
Discovering a new place.
Brightly glowing squares of high-rise building windows when you return home in the dark.
Meet and communicate with like-minded people.
Discover a new blog on a topic that interests you.
Indicate the plan for the day point by point and cross out those completed.
Experience the joy of life by celebrating your progress.
A leisurely cup of morning coffee.
Create your own Internet project and watch its success.
A sudden insight when looking for a way to solve a problem.
Throw away unnecessary things.
Beauty and joy in people's lives - to observe sunrise.

Appreciate moments of happiness
The light turned on after there was no power.
Vigor given by morning freshness and coolness.
Wander thoughtlessly through the sand, wetted by the sea waves.
A light breath of warm breeze in your face.
The feeling of love and tenderness that filled you.
Ringing silence and clear sky above.
The noise of city streets.
The sounds of morning bird trills.
The arrival of a new idea and the desire to implement it immediately.
Get all your thoughts out of your head and play solitaire.
Discover a new interesting computer game.
Listen to the sound of wheels while lying on the berth of a night train.
Add a detail to the interior that will transform it.
Think about future goals.
Understand that everything planned for the current day has been completed.

Feel the happiness
Discover an unfamiliar place in your hometown.
Sit on the open terrace of a summer cafe.
The feeling when you have an epiphany.
Dance for yourself according to your mood.
Good and cheerful well-being of parents.
Command executed by a pet.
To be alone when you don't want to see anyone.
A day, every moment of which is filled with emotions and events.
Ride a bike.
See unusual nuances in ordinary things.
Meet a like-minded person , a person close in spirit and intellect.
Going out into nature not for a barbecue or a picnic, but just to lie on the grass.
When you have time to look at the stars and their winks.
A cup of freshly brewed tea with your favorite aroma.
When you wake up in the morning and realize that you have no obligatory tasks to do that day.
Spit on all worries and give yourself a rest.

Vacation is wonderful
Read also: Concepts: emotion, feeling, mood. 8 basic emotions
The taste of the first real, not greenhouse, vegetables and fruits.
Find something dear to you that you thought was lost.
Admire the spring blossoms of an apple or cherry tree.
Walk with your loved one by the hand.
When cold, take a hot shower.
Discover that you look great in photographs.
When people like your work and celebrate it.
Hug a child or loved one.
Allow pleasant changes to turn your life around.
Joy is in the little things in life, such as watching an exciting dream to the end.
Experience a new emotion that was previously unknown.
Feel confident in your abilities.
The release of a new song by your favorite artist.
Warm welcome in unfamiliar company.
Receive messages on social networks from people you care about.
Forgetting about respectability, jump on a shopping cart and ride it around the sales floor.
Feel the smell of rain on hot asphalt.
Run your fingers along the ends of hair cut at the hairdresser.
Park correctly the first time.
Listening to foreign speech, understand the meaning of what is said.
Racing along the highway, see oncoming cars flashing at you, and have time to reduce the speed to the permissible speed.

Race along the track
Open the refrigerator after the holiday and discover that you don’t have to cook anything.
Be scared when you wake up that you are late for work, and then realize that today is a day off.
Finish a job that you really didn’t want to do.
When the minibus you need is already waiting for you at the stop.
Walk through the first snow and hear its crunch.
Press the elevator button and see the doors swing open at the same second.
Be the first to reach an open cash register.
Feel like someone covered you with a blanket.
Feeling pleasantly tired and sore muscles after working out in the gym.
The arrival of guests, to whom you don’t have to make a fuss.
Throw a piece of wood into the trash can and get hit.
Put on a new thing that you have been wanting to buy for a long time.
Have time to get on the train when the doors are already closing.
Enjoy the aroma of fresh baked goods.

Incredible aroma
When getting to the right place, get into the current of the “green wave”.
Gently and without pain, peel off the dried crust on the wound.
Wake up and, looking at the clock, realize that you can sleep for a long time.
I rack my brains for a long time, remembering, and finally remember the right word or name.
The feeling when the water that has entered there finally flows out of the ear.
In the evening, take off the tight shoes in which you had to walk all day.
Suddenly hear a smell coming from somewhere, reminiscent of childhood.
When you take a small line, and then other clients begin to line up behind you, one after another.
Driving in a car with the window open and your hand stuck out.
When a seemingly empty tube contains enough toothpaste to still brush your teeth.
Hear the clicking of heels outside the window and realize that spring has come.
Fly away by plane from winter to warm summer.

Fly away to summer
Accidentally hear your favorite song or melody.
When the boss leaves work early.
Quickly peel the egg when the salad should be on the table in five minutes.
Finding a second sock just when you were about to throw out the first.
Sit on the pier with your feet in the water and dangle them.
Buy a ticket and wait for the concert of your favorite artist.
Reading a thick, interesting book and realizing that there is still a long way to go until the end.
Wake up on a summer night under the open sky and see the stars.
Slip in icy conditions and stay on your feet.
Predict what the presenter or commentator will say.
Drive along the road at night , without any traffic jams.
Blooming flower in a pot on the windowsill.
The long-awaited SMS rang on the phone.
Wake up sweating and realize that the nightmare was only a dream.
Guess which side of the baked goods has more filling and start there.
Pizza delivery ordered by phone is carried out within 10-15 minutes.
Slam the mosquito itching above your ear.
A vacation in which you stop focusing on days and hours.
When the traffic jam finally clears up.
Discover a hidden option in a familiar device.
Be able to do what your colleagues couldn’t.
Finally get the annoying thorn out of my finger.
When the film takes place in places that are familiar to you.
Walking past a sale and seeing something you've been dreaming about for a long time.
Accidentally discover a forgotten stash in the pocket of a winter coat or jacket.
Pass the exam (finish a coursework, project, report, etc.) and remove everything that reminds you of it from your desk.
When someone warms up your bed before you have to crawl under the covers.
When the headache goes away or the runny nose stops.
Don't make a mistake when entering a password that you haven't used for a long time.
When pulling out a weed , feel how smoothly the root emerges from the ground.
Clear your spam folder by adding plenty of free space to your disk.
Discover that you have lost weight , although you did not make any effort for this.
Open the cap on the bottle the first time.
Buy air balloons just.

Buy balls
Blow soap bubbles.
Wander through fallen autumn leaves.
Listen to the infectious laughter of children.
Watch how melted cheese separates when you break into a hot sandwich.
Peace after crying to your heart's content.
Poke the yolk into the fried egg and watch it flow out.
Drop an effervescent tablet and watch it dissolve, releasing bubbles.
Offer your back to be scratched.
Pop bubbles on bubble wrap.
Unfasten the belt or zipper on your pants after you have eaten too much.
A sip of water when you are thirsty.
Cover the callus that has been bothering you all day.
Take a successful selfie the first time.
Buy periodicals and smell the smell of fresh printing ink.
When the first pancake turns out not to be lumpy.
Sledding down a hill.
Drive your own car for the first time.
Feel the warmth of the first spring sun on your cheek.
Rush home, knowing that they are waiting for you there.
Feel the arrival of the New Year holidays by inhaling the smell of tangerines.
Exchange a smile with a stranger.
After doing the general cleaning, plop down in a chair and look around at the perfect order created around you.
When suddenly our jeans start falling off.
The anticipation of relaxation when you pack your suitcase before a trip to the sea.
Close your eyes and relax in a warm bubble bath.

Relaxation
When your salary was unexpectedly given earlier than usual.
Finally, use a toothpick to pick out a piece of food stuck between your teeth.
Lay down fresh linen and go to bed.
Walking barefoot on the grass.
Sneeze to your heart's content after several unsuccessful attempts.

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Making a wish map

Take whatman paper or a note board and attach images of something that will bring you joy to the chosen base. It is advisable to maintain approximately the same ratio of material and intangible. This is a very simple psychological exercise: knowing specifically what you want and seeing it before your eyes every day makes it easier to get what you want. Be sure to gradually add new joys, and make it a rule to fulfill at least one of your existing desires once a week. To comply with this condition, you need to add to your happiness map, in addition to global goals, also minor ones - those that you can fulfill in the near future. Meeting with a friend, going to a new cafe or relaxing on the weekend outside the city. Such simple joys are the foundation of a happy life.

We invite happiness into your life

There are times when you feel tired and unhappy more and more often, and it becomes more and more difficult to enjoy life. To improve your morale in such situations, eating delicious ice cream or buying a new TV is not enough. The best way to get rid of the first signs of depression is to go on a trip. If this is not possible, try rearranging your home and changing something about yourself. You've been dreaming of a new hairstyle for a long time - now is the time to make this dream come true. Try a less drastic change, for example, buy clothes of an unusual style and style, or do new makeup. Psychologists often advise people who are dissatisfied with their own lives to get a pet. If you want to live your life with dignity and have joy, you definitely need to take care of someone. However, not all people can afford to keep a pet. An alternative option is to try growing an indoor flower. Get a small shoot and watch it day after day.

Little joys of life available to everyone

Life is the ability to see joy even in small things.

To see the little joys of life, you need to stop for a moment and just enjoy what is happening around you. After all, if you look at things and events differently, you can appreciate their beauty and importance, harmony, accuracy. The main thing is to try not to judge what you see as “good” or “bad.”

Here are some of life's simple pleasures

, which will undoubtedly bring pleasure to everyone.

First, start playing music and you can go on a journey through the little joys of life!

The warmth of a soft cozy bed after waking up.

The smell and taste of morning coffee.

The smell, taste and softness of fresh bread.

Delicate aroma of fresh, spring grass.

Comfort, warmth of shoes on a rainy morning.

On a winter evening, feel the warming warmth of water flowing down your body in the shower.

Sitting down in a soft, comfortable chair on the bus, feel the intoxicating feeling of sleep.

Listening to the sound of the sea, inhaling the smell of salty air, building dreams and believing in the future.

Read your favorite book, feel the heaviness of its binding and the smell of old pages again. A feeling of delight and excitement for the lives of the heroes. The whole world you know in one book.

Walk through the forest. The smell of forest moss and fallen damp leaves. Rare singing of some lost bird. The crunch of branches underfoot. You and the forest. Complete unity and harmony.

The first frosty morning of autumn. Heavy, damp, cold air fills your chest. And only a warm drink warms your hand. Everything in nature has become dull and gray. But you know that autumn is a time of change, when you can relax, slow down the pace of life, and do everything slowly. Wander through autumn parks, dream, meet friends in a warm coffee shop. It's time for warm blankets and quiet evenings. And the opportunity to live slowly.

Walking on the first crisp snow

Hike with friends. A feeling of heaviness on your shoulders, ringing laughter, jokes. Winding paths going up. The buzzing of insects, hundreds of smells, wild berries and herbs. A slight feeling of hunger and tiredness in the legs.

A walk through the morning city.

Feel like a part of the universe while watching the stars

Spend an evening without TV, a devourer of your energy and time.

Meet the dawn. After all, so often we do not notice it. And if you don't have the opportunity to do this in nature or on the top of Kilimanjaro, don't worry. You can meet the sun in your apartment. After all, everyone in the world has it the same as you.

To meet friends. Go to the cinema together or just sit at someone’s house together. Make pizza or just take a walk. After all, the meaning of life lies not only in constantly earning money, routine worries and monotonous sitting in front of TV.

Light candles or an aroma lamp, turn on relaxing music, sit in a comfortable position on the floor and inhale the smell of the aromas wafting through the house, finally just be with yourself, without thinking that someone will catch you and start asking what you are doing here, not planning things for tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, without judging yourself, without complaining about anything. Just be yourself, relax and let everything wait!

Give yourself permission to dream without setting limits.

Allow yourself to eat something that has always been forbidden. And don’t just eat it, but enjoy it 100% without haste, and don’t care what anyone says. After all, life is about moments! Which will never happen again.

Enjoy yourself, life, the ability to see, hear, walk, breathe. After all, having all this, we are already lucky!

A feeling of gratitude for everything in our lives. And even though it’s difficult for us and we don’t have much. But this is not a reason to be upset, because we already have a lot, and we need to be grateful for it. Take family, home, food, loved ones, friends. A feeling of gratitude makes it possible not to complain and to enjoy everything that life gives us. It's good to have it in your arsenal. Is it true?

The presence of pets in our lives makes it brighter and kinder. And it’s wonderful that we can love and take care of our pets because they also give a lot in return.

A full, healthy sleep, the warmth of the bed, the softness of the pillows and the smell of freshness. Secluded from the world through heavy cotton curtains.

Remember your childhood and ride on the swings. And so what if we are already quite adults. We are all children at heart.

Skate

Ride a bike. If you don’t have your own, rent one.

Eat a delicious juicy apple. Get a lot of pleasure and benefits.

Organize a card tournament with friends (family, friends). Saturday evening over a bottle of chic red wine. And it doesn’t matter that you can’t do something there and that something makes you feel bad. If you don’t enjoy life now, then when?

Learn to breathe when it’s hard or painful, when you’re overwhelmed with anger and aggression. When it seems like the whole world is against you. Breathe, fill your lungs with air, exhale. This will help cope with stress.

Love sincerely and truly. After all, what is life without love? Don't waste your words and time. And never, if you love or have loved, never say that you are not happy or were not like that.

Walk barefoot more often. In the country, in nature, in the park, in the forest, at home

Look at life and things more simply. This will save your health, but will not upset your internal balance.

Do crazy and adventurous things. This will prevent you and your life from turning sour and will bring a sea of drive and positivity.

Celebrate holidays with your family, observe and instill traditions.

Take walks more often. Slowly, thoughtfully immersing yourself. Enjoying every step.

Enjoy the taste and purity of water. After all, many in the world do not have such a privilege.

Run alone, with friends, with your dog. In general, it doesn’t matter how, the main thing is to run. After all, this is the cheapest sport and the most beneficial for your health. And not as dull and monotonous as others.

Know how to enjoy yourself at any moment and in any situation. After all, the main thing is not events, but how we relate to them.

Smile at the world, yourself, passers-by, the sun, the sky. Smile more often! And it doesn’t matter that it’s bad now, someone ruined your mood, you’re tired and you don’t feel like it. Smile! And you will feel better. =)

Get wet in the summer rain like when you were a child. Feel the smell of freshness and the warmth of the drops on your cheek. And it doesn’t matter that everyone is hiding and looking at you askance, it doesn’t matter that your clothes get wet and your hair gets ruined. Seize the moment, because it may never happen again.

Contemplate everything that this moment gives you. Here and now without thinking about anything.

Give yourself a moment of relaxation. Wherever you are, stop.

Turn on your favorite music and dance. And it doesn’t matter how it looks from the outside. Surrender to the sounds and your body. Trust the impulse.

Don't save anything for a special moment. Feel that this moment is right now. Allow yourself all the best things that you have been saving for something in the future (a bottle of expensive wine, a new suit, dresses, a book, paints, a bicycle,)

Warm up near the fire. The smell of burning wood. Crackling sparks rising into the sky.

Enjoy the taste of summer strawberries.

Drive a car in places unfamiliar to you. Where you have never been, but really wanted to. Maybe it's a neighboring city or a forest road, or just a road to your home that you haven't taken yet.

Try new ice cream flavors.

Enjoy the taste of summer tomatoes.

Arrange a tasting of “harmful goodies”

Blow bubbles.

Capture your family and friends on film in the funniest and most cheerful images and situations. After all, time will pass and we will be able to return to those moments. Laugh, warm up with the warmth of feelings. And in the end leave a memory. After all, in the era of digital photography, there are hundreds of photos languishing on our computers.

Remember the taste of cotton candy.

___________________________________________________________

Family or loneliness?

According to many philosophers and sages, the main happiness, the joy of life, is family. If you are already married, try to build a respectful and trusting relationship with your partner. Singles should devote enough time to communicating with parents, brothers, sisters and other relatives. However, do not forget that everything should be done only at your own request. You shouldn’t get married just because “it’s supposed to be that way.” Many people say that children are the joy of life. Believe them, but do not decide to take such a step as having a child if you feel that you are not ready or do not want a baby right now. There are also directly opposite situations - all that is needed for happiness is a child, but material wealth or housing problems prevent you from thinking about having a baby. And this is a serious reason to think about everything again and, perhaps, decide to make your dream come true. Love problems require a thoughtful solution. Remember, it is easy to destroy a relationship or submit to circumstances that interfere with your union, but finding your love and spiritually close person again is not at all easy.

Repentance or sad soul-searching?

— Indeed, a person just coming to the Church may experience dissonance between what is written in the Gospel and the regular practice of repentance, which, as it may sometimes seem, is the main thing in Orthodoxy.

Tears of repentance, the struggle with passions and sins are spoken of in the texts of divine services, in home prayer rules, and in the works of many holy fathers much more often than about joy.

The word “Gospel” itself is translated as good, that is, joyful news. And we know that the news of the resurrection of Christ was really proclaimed by the apostles and perceived by their contemporaries, and then by the first Christians precisely in this, its main sense. “Rejoice, for death has been conquered.”

A true Christian dispensation always maintains a balance, an internal combination, a golden mean, without depriving itself of joy, but remembering repentance. It is impossible without this, because true joy without penitential labor is false.

But in any case, you will have to start with repentance. Christ said: “First cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, so that the outside of them may also be clean,” that is, fight sin within yourself. When people tried to fulfill this, a huge experimental science was born: cutting off thoughts, fighting passions, that is, Christian asceticism. The holy fathers call this “contrition of the heart.”

We remember what is said in Psalm 50: “God will not despise a broken and humble heart.” The entire practice of church prayer, all that colossal number of repentant motives in prayers are needed for this heartache to be the basis of a person’s spiritual life.

But even without joy, this heartache is also meaningless and unbearable. If there is no joy, then it will not be repentance, but simply dull soul-searching that does not lead to Christ. It is very easy to slide into it, but difficult to get out. This is the same “sinful sorrow” from which we ask God to deliver us.

Find your place in life

It’s good when the main joy in a person’s life and the source of financial well-being is one type of activity. Work occupies a significant place in the life of any person, and if it does not bring positive emotions, it is not so easy to be happy. The best advice for people who are unsettled in their professional life is to try to figure out what the reason is. You may not like the type of activity itself, the manager or team, or the principles of work organization in a particular company. Once the main problems have been identified, solutions should be considered. You can always change your job or even get a new profession. Do you want to become happier? Find something you like. Hobbies can be anything - sports, handicrafts, board games. Make acquaintances with like-minded people or join a thematic club. You will definitely enjoy such productive and useful leisure time.

Every day is special and the happiest

We have collected all the most popular and effective advice from psychologists on the topic: “How to get joy from life?” If you want to become happy and find harmony, do not be afraid to try new things and gradually eliminate from your life what upsets and irritates you. Get all the available joys of life and don’t think about what others will think of you. If right now you feel like dancing and laughing or running barefoot through puddles, do just that. Remember: we live only once and it would be a sin not to use all the ways to get joy today.