Louise Thompson: Five ways to find joy

Giving that pooch a cuddle will help unlock joy in your life. Photo / Thinkstock

When life is so busy is it possible to sprinkle a little spirituality and connection into each day?

How do we bring meaning into our daily routine when we barely have to time to breathe, let alone smell the roses? Here are some simple tips on how to easily add a little oasis of peace and connection to your life in five or less minutes a day.

1. Smile at a stranger. You only had to watch a few minutes of the Olympics in London to see that the smile is the international language of love and connection. Spread a little around you today, smile at stranger in the street, in the queue at the bank, on the bus. Not in a spooky, stalkery way, just a brief connected "all is right with the world" smile to share as you go about your day. Watch it spread like a ripple. By connecting with others we connect with ourselves.

Time investment: 5 seconds.

2. Remember a moment of pure joy, whatever it is that touched your heart in a meaningful way. The birth of your baby, the moment you married, the day you won that award or saw that amazing sight in that amazing place. Whatever moves your heart. Take a moment to recreate the sight, smell, feel of that moment. The temperature of the air over your skin, the taste of the wine, the noise of the waves. Make the memory as rich and detailed as you can, let it seep through you. Bask in it. When we are connected to pure joy we are connected to our soul.

Time investment: 60 seconds.

3. Return to the breath, know all you "have to do" is breathe, everything else is optional! Truth! Try and remember what you were worried about on this day 5 years ago. Realise that time and perspective shrink our worries. That you ARE strong and you WILL cope with whatever life throws your way. Feel the flow of your breath in, and out. In and out. Know that all is well.

Time investment: 90 seconds.

4. Cuddle a non-verbal being. In my opinion nothing connects us faster with the essence of our spirit than connecting with a non-verbal being. Words can lie, thoughts can lie, but preverbal and non-verbal beings radiate purity and truth. Go cuddle a baby, stroke a cat, let it be a gateway to connecting with your own soul through the pure spirit of another creature.

Time investment: 45 seconds.

5. Actively look up and lighten up. I know if I start to take myself too seriously then life becomes very un-fun very quickly! Peace becomes harder to find as my perception becomes rooted in the external. A quick way to return is to laugh your ass off. Find the ridiculous in the situation. Go hang with a funny colleague. Find a funny clip on Youtube. When we use laughter as quick route to joy we release tension in the moment and reconnect with our natural state: joy.

Time investment: 90 seconds.

Louise is a life coach, author and corporate escapee. Visit louisethompson.com for more.

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