Micro-Acts of Joy
How do you cope with prolonged uncertainty or periods of hardship?
Prolonged uncertainty or hardship can feel incredibly exhausting. You wait, you plan, you try to take action. You push to create momentum—but nothing seems to move. Even when you’re doing everything “right,” things stay stuck. It’s frustrating, confusing, and at times, downright defeating. Staying in that headspace—constantly solving, striving, and anticipating—can drain your energy fast.
So what do you do when there’s nothing left to do?
You step away and create intentional moments of relief—micro-acts of joy.
These are short, deliberate breaks from the mental weight of uncertainty or hardship. It’s not about ignoring your challenges or pretending everything is fine. It’s about giving your nervous system a chance to reset. Maybe that means playing a quick game of pickleball, taking a walk outside with a friend, or reading something unrelated to productivity or progress. Activities connected to what you find meaningful and that give you a sense of purpose often bring the most joy.
The goal isn’t to fix anything. It’s to interrupt the cycle of tension—to let in a breath of fresh air, literally and figuratively.
I once worked with someone who was fully remote and felt guilty and stressed about stepping away from their desk. Naturally social and energized by being around others, working remotely was a challenge in itself. They were also going through a difficult personal period, which added strain to their professional life. I encouraged them to make one small shift: every couple of hours, set a timer, get up, and spend 15 - 20 minutes chatting with someone in their coworking space. That simple act of connection became their moment of joy. Did that one small change solve everything? No. But it created enough relief to keep going.
Joy during hard times can feel strange. You might laugh and then think, Wait—shouldn’t I be worried right now?
But joy isn’t a betrayal of your circumstances. It’s a tool—a break for your brain and body from carrying all that weight nonstop.
When you return to your situation, you might find you have just a little more capacity to face it—not from panic or depletion, but from steadiness.
Even if nothing has changed externally, you’ve changed internally. And sometimes, that’s enough to get through the next stretch.
Here’s an interesting study on cultivating joy through simple, prescribed daily activities. These small, intentional prompts not only help boost feelings of joy but also foster a deeper sense of meaning and purpose—both essential ingredients for living well. If you want to learn more, you can check out the full study here: Moments of Joy, Journal of Medical Internet Research.