Sometimes Joy Is Going on a Detox

For the past several years, I have chosen a “Word of the Year” on New Year’s—a word that encompasses what I want the upcoming year to be about.

This past year I chose “Joy.”

Enter 2024, and for the first 2-3 weeks, I was anything but joyful. In fact, I would have called myself a curmudgeon. Cranky, lethargic, and sugarless.

Yes, sugarless.

On a whim, I had decided to sign up for a 5-week detox. Every year, I saw the invite from my naturopath’s office, and every year, I promptly ignored it…

But not this year. This year, I wanted to start the year out well. This year I wanted to cut out the garbage in my diet and begin on a healthy note.

And you know what?

It made me cranky. For weeks.

Surprised by Joy

One day, on a text chat with my friend, I wrote: “I’m a grumpy pants. Probably because I’m sugarless and therefore joyless.”

Yes, for the first several weeks of my detox, and the first few weeks of the new year, I was not a joyful person. Day after day, I felt grumpy, lethargic, and cranky.

How could my year of joy be starting out so poorly?

I tried all the things. I tried positive thinking. I tried gratitude. I tried walks. But no joy.

But then… things slowly started to change. As I stayed the course on this detox—prepping healthy foods, eating super clean—I noticed my mood change.

I was surprised… by joy.

It really did surprise me. I think it was because I guess I expected joy to fall down on me like rain. Like the heavens would open up and I’d just feel it.

Reaping the Joy

But sometimes joy is the result of investment. Of putting in the time. Of putting in the reps. Sometimes joy is eating healthy, working out, getting good sleep, ingesting good content and conversations.

Sometimes joy is simply taking care.

If you’re constantly waiting for joy to hit you like a Will Smith slap, you’re probably not going to find it. Because sometimes joy takes work. It takes signing up for the work, prioritizing the work, and doing the work.

If you’re constantly waiting for joy to hit you like a Will Smith slap, you’re probably not going to find it. Because sometimes joy takes work. It takes signing up for the work, prioritizing the work, and doing the work.

And then reaping the joy. Because I can tell you, six weeks into this detox now, I’m feeling pretty good. And not just because I’m eating so much cleaner. But because I’m proud of myself. For showing up. For investing in my self-care. For allowing joy to take root through good routines.

Maybe joy isn’t about conjuring up a feeling. Or constantly checking in to see if you’re feeling it. Maybe, joy is the steady stream of investment in your life. The daily detoxes from things that hinder you, and the daily deposits in things that help.

Maybe, joy is the steady stream of investment in your life. The daily detoxes from things that hinder you, and the daily deposits in the things that help.