Joy As Resistance

EPISODE 28:

In a world that profits off our panic, choosing joy isn't naive- it's rebellion. When everything feels overwhelming, protecting our peace becomes revolutionary. Let's talk about why choosing joy might be the most radical thing you can do right now.

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Transcript

Welcome And Intentions

SPEAKER_00 0:01

You've made it to the Choose Joy Podcast. Here we make a conscious effort to choose joy daily. We allow ourselves to heal and grow into the path designed for us. Join me to unpack, affirm, and choose joy.

Feeling Guilty About Joy

Redefining Joy As Resistance

From Burnout To Sustainable Action

Historical Roots Of Joy

Joy Fuels Imagination And Change

Neuroscience Of Joy And Resilience

Joy Versus Indifference

Functionality For Real-World Impact

Practical Acts Of Joyful Defiance

Peace As Rebellion

Permission To Celebrate And Live

SPEAKER_01 0:16

Hello. Welcome back, joyful babes, to the Choose Joy podcast. And oh my goodness. I just had to take a a breath before we even get started. But um I just want to start today by saying it feels so irresponsible to be happy right now. Like, how dare we laugh? How dare we rest? How dare we plan trips and birthdays and soft lives when the world feels like it's unraveling. Okay, there is war, there is political division, there is economic stress, violence, injustice, social media constantly reminding us that something is always wrong somewhere. And on top of that, we still have our own personal lives to manage bills, relationships, careers, health, healing. So when I say choose joy, I know it can land as naive. It can just sound like I'm saying smile through it or think positively, just ignore it. And that is not what I'm saying. Today I want to talk about joy as resistance, not joy as denial or delusion or even toxic positivity, because joy is a strategy. So let's redefine joy first. Joy isn't pretending that the darkness doesn't exist. Joy is being fully aware of the darkness and refusing to let it devour your inner world. It's emotional sovereignty. It's saying, you can have my attention, you can have my advocacy, you can have my effort, but you cannot have my spirit. And there's a difference between being informed and being consumed. And I think a lot of us are consumed. We wake up and scroll, we scroll at lunch, we scroll before bed, and our nervous systems never get a break. And all of this leads to burnout. And when we burn out, we disengage. When we disengage, nothing changes. So what if joy isn't escapism? What if joy is I don't know, our nervous system's regulation so that we can stay in the fight sustainably? Because you can't pour from an empty cup just like you can't pour from an empty nervous system. And we can't advocate for others or even ourselves running off of an adrenal fatigue. Um, joy should stabilize us, and stability is powerful. Now, historically, joy has always been resistance. Oppressed communities have always used joy as survival. During slavery, there were spirituals, um, not because life was easy, but because humanity refused to be erased. Um, during the civil rights movement, people marched, but they also sang. And the very existence of so many movements has shown us that protest and joy can coexist. You will see dancing in the streets right alongside chance. And it provides a space of joy, community, and celebration that honestly becomes a catalyst for resistance. Um, I don't believe that joy was ever meant to so that we don't see what's happening and what's going on. It's meant to say, you will not strip us of our humanity, okay? Because oppression wants you to be exhausted. It wants us numb, it wants us hopeless, and hopeless people don't organize, hopeless people don't create, hopeless people don't imagine better. And joy keeps that imagination alive. And imagination is where change begins because it's allowing your brain to think outside of your environment and where you may be. So let's bring this back to the brain first for a second because you guys know I love a good little neuroscience moment. So when we experience joy, we talked about how our brain releases dopamine, which fuels motivation. Then we have serotonin, which stabilizes said mood, oxytocin, which strengthens the connection, and then endorphins, which relieve stress and pain. And these are not frivolous chemicals, they are biological fuel for resilience. And chronic stress shrinks our capacity. Joy expands it. So when you initially do something that makes you laugh or dance or feel connected, you are not being careless, you are refueling your nervous system so you can continue to show up. Another thing is, joy is not the opposite of awareness, it is literally like an antidote to despair. Because let me be clear about something: joy is not indifference. Indifference literally says, I don't care. And joy says I care deeply, and I refuse to let despair steal our capacity. There is a difference. If anything, sustained joy makes you more effective because you're grounded and you think clearer when you're grounded, and when you're emotionally regulated, you communicate better and you're connected to the community and you act collectively as a whole. Just because you're miserable, you know? Um, me spiraling in bed doesn't fix policies. And me doom scrolling at midnight doesn't liberate anybody. But me being well, me being grounded, creative, energized, that allows me to contribute meaningfully. That allows me to have hard conversations without exploding, to love people well, to build things. Um, joy can keep you functional, and functionality is necessary for impact. So what does joy as resistance look like practically? It doesn't have to be some grand gesture. Joy to me is literal, can be a literal sign of microacts of defiance. Logging off when your nervous system says, okay, that's enough. Um, curating your media diet, choosing to dance in your kitchen, planning the birthday trip, wearing the outfit, laughing loudly, resting without an apology. You know, joy is gathering with people who remind you who you are and whose you are. It's creating art, starting the podcast, posting the video, building the business, falling in love. And every time you choose to nourish your life instead of shrink it, you are resisting despair. And despair is contagious, but so is joy. And we have to stop thinking that seriousness equals effectiveness. You can be serious about change and still experience delight. Like two things can be true. You can advocate and still laugh, you can care and still rest. I feel like joy isn't a betrayal of reality, it's a protection of our humanity. And humanity is the main thing that we are all fighting to preserve. And let me say this clearly: the world benefits when you are depleted, because depletion makes you easier to control. But a joyous person, a grounded, connected person, that's powerful. Because you're not operating from fear, you're operating from wholeness, and that wholeness creates vision, which literally creates strategy. And strategy creates change. I mean, if I'm not speaking to nobody, I'm speaking to myself. So maybe choosing joy right now isn't being naive. Maybe it's radical. Maybe in a world that profits off of our panic, um, our peace is rebellion. In a culture that monetizes outrage, your calm is resistance. In systems that thrive on division, our connection is defiance. Joy does not mean you ignore suffering, it means you refuse to let that suffering define the totality of your existence. You can hold grief and gratitude at the same time, um, just like you can hold awareness and delight at the same time. Humans are expansive enough to where both things can be true, two things can be true. And if you've been feeling heavy lately, this is your permission. You are allowed to laugh, you are allowed to rest, you are allowed to celebrate because you're living, you're breathing, you're allowed to build a beautiful life, even when we're all working towards a better world. Um, and in fact, building a better life might be a part of how we build a better world, you know, because joy keeps us in the game. And we we we need to be in the game. We need you in the game, you need me in the game, not burnt out, not numb, not humless, but alive, engaged, imaginative, uh, and just connected. So this week, I want us to practice one act of joyful resistance, one thing that nourishes us, one thing that reminds us that we are more than just consumers of bad news. We can be reconnected to our humanity because our humanity matters, your humanity matters, and no one, no one gets to take that from you. No one can steal your joy. Because joy is not naive, it's necessary, it's protective, and it's strategic. And sometimes joy is the most powerful protest that we have. So, yeah, protect your peace, guard your mind, guard your heart, and as always, choose joy.