> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://the-unconventional-career-club.ghost.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Joy as an antidote to stress - URL: https://the-unconventional-career-club.ghost.io/joy-as-an-antidote-to-stress/ - Published: 2026-05-18T06:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-15T07:43:19.000Z - Description: When you are dealing with a tough time at work, finding small moments of lightness into your day can help you to deal with all that is thrown at you. - Author: Laura Cloke - Tags: Career Advice When I think about all the times that work has been tough for me, I’m reminded how hard everything felt. How I had to draw on all the resources I had to deal with all that I faced, and the stress that I experienced. What I often forget, is that to get through these situations, I didn’t need to do more, but rather I needed to find ways to replenish my energy and my reserves. One way to do that is to look for ways to bring joy and ease to your day. ### Do it with ease Something I notice with clients who are dealing with a tough time at work is how heavy everything feels. When they are describing their situation and what they might need to do to navigate it, everything about what they say, and their body language, is weighed down with concern. I understand it, dealing with something challenging is hard. It can drain you of energy, be a source of worry, and you aren’t sure how you are going to get through it all. When clients are trying to come up with solutions when they feel this way they get stuck. It is like the weight of all they are dealing with is stopping them from being able to do anything. The question I ask them is, “what would it look like to approach this situation with ease?” What this question does is to help people to identify what they can and can’t change. If you are facing a challenge such as redundancy, a toxic boss, or a health crisis, you can’t change what is going on, but you do have some agency over how you approach it. When I ask people to consider what doing things with ease looks like, it encourages them to focus on what they can control. It helps them to identify what they can change, whether that is their mindset, their behaviour or their approach to what is going on. ### Finding joy The other way I encourage people to deal with the challenges of a difficult situation at work is to look for ways to create a more positive energy. Being able to find a moment of joy in your day is a powerful tool to cultivate. It’s not about ignoring what you are dealing with or playing down how hard things are, it is about finding time to get some relief from the heaviness of it all. You might be able to find a moment of joy in what you do at work, or it might be that you make time when you have switched off for the day to recharge by doing something that replenishes you. A great way to do this in work is to connect to why you chose the job in the first place. Most people have a reason for doing the work they do, over and above just getting paid. Look for what drew you to the job and connect with that, letting go of whatever is causing you stress. For me it is being reminded of the positive impact I make to my clients. If I’m finding work hard, I think about the difference I make in a coaching session. So often someone will start a conversation feeling quite down or stressed about their work, but by the end of our time together they are more positive, and confident that they can tackle their situation. The joy I get from being reminded of a win my client has had, helps me to overcome any negative feelings I have and keep going. ### What makes you happy? One of the things that brings me small moments of joy is being surrounded by art and culture. Whether I am going to a gallery to look at photographs or paintings, enjoying a concert, or just reading a book, I find that these activities help me to switch off from any challenging things I am dealing with, and gain a perspective on my situation. This works for me because it is a mix of something unrelated to work, it’s fun, but it also helps me to realise I’m not alone. This quote from textile artist Pam Holland sums it up nicely, “Art speaks where words are unable to explain.” If I am going through a tough time, I know that I need to make time to have some culture in my week. If I don’t, if I’m only focused on whatever it is that is causing me to be stressed, I know it will only feel worse. We all have things that bring us joy. You might be a runner who needs to be moving to let go of all the stress of work, or perhaps you are someone that gets lost in films, or having dinner with friends. It isn’t so much the activity that is important, but rather the way it makes you feel. When things get tough at work, or in your life, it is easy for these joyful activities to be the first things you stop doing. They don’t seem essential, so you prioritise other things. The trouble is these moments of joy are so important to helping you to build resilience against difficult situations. It can feel hard, or even pointless, to try to make time for positive things when you are dealing with a big challenge, but it might be just what you need to get through. What I try to do is to look for small moments of joy. If I don’t have the capacity for a big outing, I go for a walk and look for a beautiful view. I try to do something which feels lighter, joyful, and give myself just a little bit of respite from the stress. Being resilient at work doesn’t mean it has to feel hard all the time. If you can find a way to bring moments of joy and ease to your day, it will feel so much better. You might be dealing with an awful situation that feels stressful, but if you can carve out small moments of lightness into your day it will help you to deal with all that is thrown at you.