07/10/2026
Ever notice how quickly your mind tries to divert you away from joy?
“This won’t last.”
“Don’t get too excited.”
When you’ve spent a long time in survival mode, joy can feel way too vulnerable.
This is a trauma response.
Your mind tries so hard to stay one step ahead…
Already preparing for potential disappointment, instead of just letting you experiencing what’s here now.
Part of healing is learning to notice the urge to brace, notice you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop…
And simply stay.
Notice the discomfort, vulnerability and uncertainty.
Notice the automatic protective thoughts.
The messiness and the blurry edges.
The imperfection and exposure.
Instead of immediately trying to suppress it, solve it or think your way out of it, let the emotion move through you.
You can feel uncertainty without needing to prepare for disaster.
You can feel vulnerable without pulling away from joy.
As Brené Brown writes, the vulnerability that accompanies joy can become “an invitation to practice gratitude.”
So when your mind starts racing ahead, come back to what is true right now:
“This is good.”
“I am here.”
“I can let myself experience this and whatever happens later I will handle.”
You don’t have to rehearse disappointment in order to survive it.
And you don’t have to let an unknown future, steal your guaranteed joy, today.
