Blog: Are you blocking yourself from joy?

<p><em>“I think I’m bad at joy,”</em> said my client Laura at the start of our last coaching call.</p> <p>She went on to tell me about a mini road trip she and her boyfriend took over the weekend. There was a moment in the car when everything felt right in the world — the sun was shining, the windows were down, her favorite music was blasting, and her boyfriend smiled over at her and put his arm around the back of her seat.</p> <p><em>“I literally thought my heart was going to burst, I was so blissed out in that moment,”</em> she said.</p> <p>But it didn’t last long. Almost immediately, Laura’s mind started to freak out:</p> <p><em>“I really shouldn’t have taken this trip. My boss is already annoyed that I took a whole week off earlier this month, and now I’m taking another long weekend?? Ugh, going back to work on Tuesday is going to be fun… And I probably should’ve put the money I spent on this trip toward my student loans. I’m going to be paying those off forever. Maybe I should get a second job. Or a higher paying job. But what kind of job? Do I need a second degree to get a better paying job? But that would mean MORE student loans. And what if I don’t even like that job? I’m never going to figure this out…”</em></p> <p>Within 30 seconds, Laura’s joy had evaporated.</p> <p>She asked me, <em>“What happened? I was so happy, and then I just … wasn’t. It was like all of these crazy anxious thoughts took over my brain. What’s wrong with me?”</em></p> <p>There’s nothing wrong with Laura. She just has the same impulse that most people I know have — to rein in her joy.<br />  <br /> IF YOU LIKED THIS THEN YOU’LL ALSO LOVE…</p> <p>Our free downloadable e-book:</p> <p><a href="https://clarityonfire.com/happy-people-real/" target= "_blank" rel="noopener">Are happy people for real? What it takes to live a happy, contented life in a world where that sometimes feels impossible</a></p> <p>Make sure to check out the rest of our e-books, too:</p> <p><a href="https://clarityonfire.com/ebook-collections" target= "_blank" rel="n