aestheticsofjoy.com

This question takes me back to the day I got my college dorm assignment. For most prospective college students, this is an exciting day — the day that the experience of heading off to college finally becomes real

And I could tell from the conversations I had and the overall energy in the room that there’s a strong desire to bring more joy into the children’s hospital experience. As I think about this idea, I think about this quote from Susan Sontag’s essay Illness as Metaphor: Everyone who is born holds dual citizenship, in the kingdom of the well and in the kingdom of the sick. When I think about this topic, of designing healthcare environments, I think about how so many of these spaces reinforce the divide between the kingdom of the well and the kingdom of the sick. Bedrooms at Sheffield Children’s Hospital (top, and bottom 2) courtesy of Morag Meyerscough; Embrace Ambulance Service, Tado for Artfelt; Digital X-Ray Suite, Tatiana Boyko for Artfelt; Outdoor Care Retreat, Ivar Kraal for Snøhetta;

But when we experience joy, such as by watching something funny, taking a little while to become absorbed in play, or spending time in nature, it gives our bodies a break from this stress response, enabling us to recover. When we’re up on the roof, our problems start to feel smaller, giving us more space for joy. But emotions are contagious, so if we want to find joy amid stress, it benefits us to seek out our most joyful friends in troubled times. For more ideas on how to find joy amid stressful circumstances, check out the post: 5 Ways to Find Joy in Tough Times.

This question came in through Instagram last week, but it’s one that I hear over and over at my talks and workshops. Though we want to experience and express more joy, in many Western cultures, expressing joy often opens us up to judgment