Many people today often think, “I’m just too busy.”
Their calendars are filled with commitments, meetings, and appointments. A to-do list of a handful of items has grown to a full page. And don’t forget about the cell phone!
It keeps people perpetually linked with their jobs. The phone also draws their attention away from the real world to the screen, which is full of distractions. No wonder that so many people struggle with stress and anxiety.
However, there is a way to conquer anxiety and stress. Hermann Hesse, a 20th-century writer, knew the answer: through experiencing the little joys of life.
Hermann Hesse and the Joys of Life
Hesse wrote an essay in 1905 called “On Little Joys.” Even back then, he noticed all too well how people around him were miserable. He saw it in the common people walking to work with their heads down, braced against the cold. Or the sensitive and artistic people whose souls were crushed by the “realities” of the world.
Pondering on his observations, Hesse noted: “A stretch of sky, a garden wall overhung by green branches, a strong horse, a handsome dog, a group of children, a beautiful face—why should we be willing to be robbed of all this?” In his opinion, what was missing in people’s lives was experiencing the little joys that they bypassed every day.
Why the Little Joys Matter
They matter because when you are deprived of joy and beauty, what replaces it is stress and anxiety. The world looks very bleak, almost futile.
You plod through the day because that’s what you’re supposed to do. Every time you respond to a message, phone call, or text, you miss out on what’s happening right in front of you.
No wonder there are so many people in this world that are sad or depressed. It’s because they feel hopeless.
How to Discover Joy
An important point towards discovering joy is to slow down. Believe it or not, at the turn of the twentieth century, life could be very busy or hectic, even by today’s standards. Maybe people didn’t have modern technology to distract them, but their lives were still consumed by work and being “busy.”
When your life is filled with so many other things vying for your attention, it’s hard to feel like you’re enjoying life. Rather, it seems like life is dragging you along.
But you do have the power to stop, at least momentarily. Take a moment to pause from reading this post right now. Look up and around you. Fully absorb what’s happening. Focus on something that captures your attention and let it become your one interest.
Watch Out for FOMO
Even in the early twentieth century, there was what we today refer to as FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). Hesse, in fact, describes in his writings people who stressed out when they had not yet read the latest publications in circulation back then. They would be in a conversation with other people and feel left out of the discussion.
Sound familiar?
Hesse’s solution was to essentially be OK with being left out. If you feel that’s not possible for you, then perhaps budgeting your time could work. For example, allow yourself 30 minutes a day to catch up on today’s news. Then, once the time has run out, shift your attention to something that keeps your present.
Saving Those Precious Moments for When They’re Needed Most
Hesse advised readers to “seek out each day as many as possible of the small joys, and thriftily save up the larger, more demanding pleasures for holidays and appropriate hours.”
Certainly, stress and anxiety occur no matter what time of year. However, the holidays can bring on their version of the stress and misery of “demanding pleasures.” Yet, the holidays can also have their own special little joys of life.
For example:
- Watching snow fall
- Drinking a warm beverage by the fire
- Hanging decorations
- Enjoying delicious meals
- Reveling in each other’s company
—
It’s fascinating that advice given over a century ago still resonates with us today. If you want to conquer stress and anxiety, start with uncovering the little joys of life that you perhaps miss out on every day.
But if you are having trouble with this and feel anxiety has overtaken you too much, consider getting help with anxiety treatment. I would make me happy to be your guide to finding joy in life once again.
