Three Simple Ways to Feed Your Soul With Joy

In today’s fast paced world, joy can feel hard to find. However, happiness often comes from small daily choices. When you help others, care for yourself, or share a smile, your well being improves.

These simple actions can shift your mindset and strengthen your emotional health. Here are three practical ways to feed your soul with joy.

1. Embrace the Power of Service

Helping others is one of the fastest ways to feel happier.

Research supports this idea. A study published in the Journal of Social Service Research found that people who volunteer have a lower risk of depression. Serving others gives you purpose. It also connects you to your community.

In addition, service helps reduce loneliness. When you work alongside others, you build relationships that matter.

For the past 12 years, I have led humanitarian trips to Guatemala. I have seen this transformation again and again. Volunteers often arrive feeling stressed or burned out. Yet they leave feeling grateful and renewed.

One volunteer shared:

“My time in Guatemala changed my outlook on life. I learned that it’s the people you meet and the relationships you build that bring true happiness. I became more grateful and a lot happier.”

The good news is you do not have to travel far to feel this impact.

Small Acts Make a Big Difference

Service does not have to be large or dramatic. You can:

• Help a neighbor
• Volunteer at a local shelter
• Join a community clean up
• Donate your time to a cause you care about

These small steps shift your focus away from worry and toward contribution.

If you would like to explore service opportunities abroad, you can learn more about Be Humanitarian’s volunteer trips here:
https://behumanitarian.org/active-trips

2. Prioritize Self Care

Joy also grows when you care for yourself.

Self care includes your physical, emotional, and mental health. For example, pay attention to how you speak to yourself. Kind self talk improves mood and confidence.

Spend Time Outdoors

Nature is one powerful form of self care. A study published in Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine found that spending time in nature lowers stress and improves mood.

A simple walk in a park can clear your mind. Fresh air and movement support emotional balance.

You can read more about the mental health benefits of nature from the American Psychological Association here:
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/04/nurtured-nature

Create Daily Space for Yourself

Self care may also include:

• Exercise
• Meditation
• Healthy meals
• Time with loved ones
• Quiet morning routines

For instance, waking up thirty minutes earlier than your family can create peaceful time just for you. Personally, some of my most meaningful mornings happen before the world wakes up.

Although many of us give constantly to others, scheduling time for yourself is not selfish. Instead, it helps restore your energy and protect your joy.

3. Share Your Smile

Smiling is simple, yet powerful.

When you smile, your brain releases chemicals that help reduce stress. Research from the University of Kansas found that smiling during stressful moments can lower heart rate and improve mood.

In addition, smiling strengthens connection. Because of mirror neurons in the brain, people often smile back when they see a smile.

Smiles Build Community

While volunteering in Guatemala, I use my smile muscles much more than when I sit behind a computer. Playing, coloring, and flying kites with children brings natural joy.

Children smile easily. Spending time with them reminds me to do the same.

You can add more smiles to your day by:

• Smiling at someone you pass
• Watching something funny
• Sharing a kind word
• Even smiling at yourself in the mirror

These small choices create positive ripple effects.

Bringing It All Together

Joy grows when you serve others, care for yourself, and share your smile.

These practices support one another. Service builds purpose. Self care restores energy. Smiling strengthens connection.

Over time, these simple habits create a joyful life.

Joy is not just a quick emotion. Instead, it is something you build daily. Each act of kindness, each peaceful moment, and each shared smile moves you toward deeper fulfillment.

So take time to serve. Make space to care for yourself. Choose to smile more often.

You deserve joy.