Read time: 2 minutes

We tend to obsess over vitamins in our country. We worry whether we need to take supplements or get them from the food we eat. We worry whether we are getting enough or getting too much. While I’m not discrediting the importance of vital vitamins, there is one that tends to get overlooked. It can’t be found in supplement form nor on the shelf of your local pharmacy. It’s Vitamin J… Vitamin Joy.

Imagine if we spent the same amount of time ensuring we got our daily dosage of Vitamin J as we do all of our other vitamins? The implications Vitamin J has on our overall health and well-being are significant. Without this precious vitamin, our health can easily be diminished. On the flip side, joy can cure or improve many illnesses and symptoms we often experience by strengthening our immune system.

Vitamin J is not often prescribed by doctors nor sold by pharmaceutical companies. Why? It’s hard to profit off of this vitamin the way many drug and supplement companies do with other products. It doesn’t come in a bottle. It’s also difficult to prescribe an exact dose for each individual. This vitamin is personal. And it’s up to you to make sure you are getting enough of it every single day. But that’s where the fun begins!

Where do you find Vitamin Joy you might ask? It’s simple. Take a moment with a piece of paper and pen and write down everything you enjoy doing. There are no limits. Just let your imagination and heart run wild for a few minutes. Once you have your list, post it somewhere you can see daily. Find at least two items on this list to do every day. The more the better. (Warning: overdosing may cause extreme happiness and bliss)

It you’re experiencing writer’s block, here are some ideas to get you started…

• Keep a gratitude journal to help you focus on what’s going great in your life.
• Take a break from social media and get out into the real world for a while.
• Go for a walk without your phone.
• Make a playlist of your favorite songs.
• Call an old friend or family member you haven’t talked to in a while.
• Take someone you’d like to be friends with out for coffee or lunch.
• Spend your money on experiences instead of things.
• Go walk or sit in your local park – just soak up all that green.
• Enjoy short bursts of sunlight – pack in some vitamin D and boost your serotonin.
• Take a book and blanket to the local park and enjoy a date with yourself – guilt-free
• Write a hand-written thank you or thinking of you note to someone and drop it in the mail.
• Allow yourself to regularly relax, nap, or just sit – the downtime is good for your
  soul.
• Enjoy a cup of tea…slowly.
• Do something nice for someone without expecting them to notice – you’ll get a
  boost of joy!