This time around, we’re chatting with Cyndie Spiegel, a consultant and the author of Microjoys: Finding Hope (Especially) When Life Is Not Okay.

Hey, Cyndie! If you could recommend one thing we could all do to improve our mental health, what would it be?

Notice microjoys; the easily accessible moments of joy that exist around (and within) us regardless of our current circumstances.

And why is this your One Good Thing?

Because microjoys are nearly always present and available, we can access joy when we are struggling but also within the mundanity of our daily lives. Think about the daffodils blooming as winter transitions towards spring, the beautiful memory experienced when finding pictures of loved ones or the kind gesture from a stranger at the local grocer – these microjoys exist regardless of what we are going through.

These are my One Good Thing because recognising them is a powerful and practical way of making space for joy.

Sounds nice. How can we start benefitting from microjoys?

Without trying to change anything, move through the world as it is and notice the beautiful, ordinary and extraordinary moments that exist. That’s it; that is how microjoys work. They don’t require us to earn them, reach far to find them or do anything except to simply notice what ordinary, extraordinary and profound beauty is already around us.

One Good Thing: why it’s time to start noticing ‘microjoys’