Catching Joy
- Trish Heitz
- 1 hour ago
- 5 min read
During a recent coaching session, I asked a client a simple question.
“If you could feel one emotion more consistently in your day, what would it be?”
She didn’t hesitate.
“Joy,” she said. “I want to find more joy.”
The moment she said it, a phrase came to my mind.
“Catching joy.”
Instead of waiting for joy to appear, what if she made it her daily intention to notice it?
To catch it, in small moments, unexpected interactions, or simple experiences.
Almost like a gratitude journal.
But focused on joy.
She loved the idea.
So we created a very simple practice. Each morning she already did several minutes of deep breathing to calm her mind before starting her day. We decided that at the end of her breathing exercise she would add one affirmation:
“Today I am open to catching moments of joy.”
Then throughout the day, she would simply notice them.
Not force them. Not manufacture them. Just catch them.
A smile from a stranger. Sunlight through a window. A kind word. A quiet moment of peace.
At the end of the day, she would reflect on the moments she caught. I recommended Journaling those moments.
When she checked back in with me, the results surprised even her.
Her days felt lighter. She found herself smiling more .Small frustrations didn’t take over the way they used to. She felt more energy.
And here’s what fascinated me the most:
Nothing about her external life had dramatically changed.
What changed was her brain.
What Science Shows
When we intentionally look for positive emotional experiences, like joy, gratitude, appreciation, the brain begins to reorganize what it notices.
Neuroscientists call this attentional bias. Our brain naturally scans the environment for what it expects to find. let's repeat that...what it expects to find. If we constantly anticipate problems or stress, our brain becomes very good at finding them.
But when we repeatedly look for positive moments, the brain begins to strengthen neural pathways associated with positive emotion.
Each time she noticed a joyful moment, her brain released small amounts of dopamine, the neurotransmitter associated with motivation and reward. Dopamine doesn’t just make us feel good; it reinforces the behavior that created the feeling.
In other words, the brain begins learning:
“This is worth noticing again.”
Positive experiences can also increase serotonin, which contributes to feelings of well-being and emotional stability.
Over time, these small emotional moments can also stimulate the release of oxytocin, the connection hormone that helps us feel trust and belonging.
But something else important was happening too.
Her new practice was interrupting the stress loop.
Chronic stress keeps the nervous system in a constant state of high alert. When we repeatedly shift attention toward positive experiences, the brain begins activating the parasympathetic nervous system, the part responsible for calm, restoration, and healing.
In this calmer state, the body produces less cortisol and inflammation, and more of the neurochemicals that support emotional balance, mental clarity, and even physical health.
All from something as simple as noticing joy.
The Brain Learns What We Practice
Our brains are constantly learning from repetition.
What we notice repeatedly becomes easier to notice again.
Over time, this is how patterns are built.
Many people unknowingly train their brain to scan for stress, problems, or disappointment. It’s not intentional, it’s simply the result of repetition. If your mind has been rehearsing worry or frustration for years, your brain becomes very efficient at finding more of it.
But the same brain that learned that pattern can learn a different one.
By intentionally catching moments of joy, my client was teaching her brain something new:
“Look here.”
Each time she noticed a joyful moment, she was gently interrupting the old stress autopilot and installing a new pattern of attention.
Over time, that new pattern begins to pass the brain’s safety test. It becomes familiar. It becomes predictable. And eventually, it becomes easier for the brain to access.
Joy stops feeling rare. It starts feeling available.
Why Breathing Matters
There was another important piece of her practice: breathing.
Before she began her day, she spent at least 5 minutes slowing her breath, inhaling slowly and extending her exhale. This type of breathing stimulates the vagus nerve and activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps the body shift out of stress mode.
When the brain and body feel calm, the brain becomes more open to forming new neural connections. Scientists call this state-dependent learning, the brain learns and rewires more easily when it feels safe.
In other words, the breathing prepared her brain to receive the new pattern.
Calm first. Then intention.
Joy Becomes Easier to Catch
Over the next few days she began sharing small examples.
A conversation with a coworker that made her laugh. A quiet moment in the morning before the house woke up. A beautiful sky during her drive.
None of these moments were extraordinary.
But they were noticeable, because now her brain at an intention.
And that’s what changed everything.
Instead of finishing her day feeling drained by stress, she finished it remembering the moments that felt good.
Not because life had suddenly become perfect.
But because her brain had learned where to look.
Try Catching Joy
If you want to experiment with this yourself, it can be very simple.
Start your morning with at least 5 minutes of slow breathing, deep breathing...
(My favorite is Square or Boxed Breathing...inhale 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4...then begin again)
Then set an intention:
“Today I am open to catching moments of joy.”
Throughout the day, simply notice them when they appear. It helps, especially in the beginning to journal them, to remind you.
You may be surprised by how many small moments are already there waiting to be seen.
A Reflection
Before you finish reading, pause for a moment and ask yourself:
• When was the last time I intentionally noticed joy in my day?
• What small moments might I have missed today?
• What might change if I began looking for them?
Because the brain will eventually find whatever it practices looking for.
So the question becomes:
What are you training your brain to notice?
If you decide to join us in the "Catching Joy" Game, I’d love to hear from you.
What moment of joy did you catch today?
Sometimes the smallest moments are the ones that remind us how much life is actually offering us.
And if you are ready to take this and other practices to a higher level to help you create sustainable joy, schedule your complimentary Session and let's discuss how to get you there!