Tolerating Joy

[RickThrivingNow]

From Gus & Me Dancing:

Rick & Gus Dancing

Why do people have a difficult time feeling Joy? Good question. A few big reasons I see: Safety: if our nervous system reads life as risky, it deprioritizes joy. Survival first, savoring later. Conditioning: many of us learned joy gets punished, dismissed, or taken away… so we mute it to avoid hurt. Vigilance habits: worry loops and “what’s next?” focus narrow attention away from micro-joys right here. Untended pain: when grief or shame isn’t witnessed, joy can feel disloyal or unsafe to le…