Finding Joy in Small Packages: Cultivating Micro-Moments of Happiness Amidst the Pain

Living with chronic pain can feel like navigating a relentless storm. The large joys, the grand adventures, the days filled with boundless energy – these can sometimes seem like distant memories or unattainable dreams when you are overwhelmed managing your chronic pain. On days like those, when the pain is a persistent hum or a sharp, overwhelming wave, it's easy to feel like happiness is an elusive concept. But what if we shifted our focus? What if we started looking for joy not in just the grand gestures, but in the tiny, often overlooked moments that sprinkle our day? I can tell you first hand that this works. Way back in 2010 at the suggestion of my therapist, I started writing down 3 things I was grateful for and 3 things I accomplished in a notebook every day. It was tough at first, to see the positive, and find those things, but gradually over time, and with the help of my therapist, I began to see the good things in my day. I began to appreciate the little things I had. Writing my 3 things became easier, and after a while, I was finding more than 3 things to write down. This was my first experience with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and the concept of reframing my thoughts by doing daily exercises, and over the years of ups and downs I have come back to this exercise.

For those of us living with chronic pain, the truth is, some days really are all about the micro-moments. It's about finding slivers of light in the darkness, tiny sparks of joy that can collectively brighten our overall well-being. These micro-moments, these small packages of happiness, are not a replacement for managing our pain, but they can be a powerful tool in our self-care arsenal, helping us to navigate the tougher times with a little more ease and a little more hope. When you suffer from chronic pain, it’s easy to get lost in the negatives, often we feel overwhelmed, so it’s important to find or create these micro-moments. 

What Exactly Are Micro-Moments of Happiness?

I like to think of them as those fleeting instances that bring a smile to your face, a sense of calm to your mind, or a warmth to your heart. They are often simple, readily available, and don't require a significant amount of energy – a crucial factor when living with chronic pain. They are the opposite of grand achievements; they are the subtle whispers of joy in the everyday and for me, these micro-moments make a huge difference in the overall quality of my life. 

Why Are Micro-Moments So Important for Chronic Pain Warriors?

• Manageable and Accessible: When pain limits our physical and emotional capacity, the idea of planning a big, joyful event can feel overwhelming. Micro-moments, on the other hand, are often spontaneous and require minimal effort, making them accessible even on our toughest days. You don’t have to plan anything big, or go anywhere fancy, to enjoy a micro-moment. The best thing about them is that they are small and attainable. This is key for Pain Warriors as we are often feeling overwhelmed and the thought of doing something big to us just adds to that overwhelm. By living more in the moment, we can make these spontaneous micro-moments happen because we are looking for them. 
• Counteract Negative Emotions: Chronic pain can often lead to feelings of frustration, sadness, anger, and isolation. These small bursts of joy can act as a gentle antidote, helping to shift our focus and introduce positive emotions into our day. By counteracting your negative emotions, you are reprogramming your brain to have more positive ones. When this happens, your brain wants you to have more positive emotions, and will seek out new opportunities for them and it’s for me it was like magic to watch that unfold in myself and it motivated me to be more mindful of how I spend my day, especially if I’m experiencing a pain flare or in a depressive episode. They help me to navigate them. 
• Boost Overall Well-being: While individually small, these moments can accumulate over time, contributing to a greater sense of well-being. They remind us that even amidst the pain, there is still beauty and goodness in the world. This is also really important as a Pain Warrior. We face so much negativity and pain and it’s vital to our wellbeing that we get the chance to see that beauty and goodness in the world. By creating meaningful micro-moments in my life, I was able to find joy again, and finding that joy meant I was not having as many depressive episodes and felt more put together. By experiencing these micro-moments, I was rewiring my brain to feel happy again. To accept that I can have moments of happiness in spite of my pain. Turning that corner is life changing. 
• Shift Focus: When we actively seek out these small joys, we are momentarily shifting our focus away from the pain. This mental break, however brief, can be incredibly refreshing and help us feel more in control. By shifting focus, and seeking out micro-moments, we are taking back some control that chronic pain has over us. My pain is so loud and I need moments in my day where I’m not thinking about it. I love art, painting, drawing, and other creative crafts, as well as journaling, meditating, reading or listening to an audiobook or podcast. I spend most of my day alone, so having solitary activities that can distract me are necessary for my mental health. 
• Cultivate Gratitude: Recognizing and appreciating these micro-moments can foster a sense of gratitude for the good things in our lives, no matter how small they may seem. By learning to appreciate the small things, you open up yourself to a whole new way of life. A more positive life. One that you can enjoy, despite the pain.

How to Cultivate Your Own Micro-Moments of Happiness:

The beauty of micro-moments is their personal nature. What brings one person joy might be different for another. The key is to be present, pay attention, and intentionally cultivate these small pleasures. Here are some ideas to get you started, drawing inspiration from the diverse interests reflected in my recent explorations:

• Engage Your Senses:
  
  
  • Savor a Warm Beverage: That first sip of coffee or tea in the morning, the comforting warmth spreading through your body. Take a moment to truly taste it, feel it. My favourite warm beverage is a steamed milk with a couple pumps of vanilla. It’s my treat at the end of the day as I wind down. 
  • Listen to Your Favorite Music: Put on a song that lifts your spirits or brings back happy memories. Let the melody wash over you. I like to listen to classic hits from the 1970s while I journal. 
  • Enjoy a Pleasant Aroma: Light a candle with a calming scent, diffuse essential oils, or simply take a deep breath and appreciate the smell of fresh air or your favorite meal. I love opening the windows and getting fresh air breezing throughout our house. I live on over 10 acres of forested land and the fresh air here is amazing and I feel revitalized when I breathe that air in deeply. 
  • Feel the Sun on Your Skin: If possible, step outside for a few moments and feel the warmth of the sun. Even a few minutes can be revitalizing. Every afternoon during my energy dip, I go outside and listen to the birds. This actually helps increase your overall energy too. I track my sleep and my energy peaks and dips and I always plan something outside, or some exercise, to do during my dips, because it increases my overall energy. 
  • Admire Something Beautiful: Take a moment to truly look at a flower, a piece of art, or even the intricate details of a household object. Perhaps reflect on the artistry in a movie finding meaning even in unexpected places. When I need something beautiful to surround myself with because of overwhelm, I like going for walks at Bellhouse Park with my bestie. We have two area’s we stop to chat and admire the view of the ocean. At certain times of year certain flowers are blooming or you get lucky enough to see the orcas or eagles, and that just adds to the beauty and magic feeling of it all. 
• Connect with Nature (Even Indoors):
  
  
  • Watch the Birds: If you have a window with a view, spend a few minutes observing the birds outside. I like to sit outside and listen to and watch the birds on our property. Late at night, I can hear the frogs in our pond and the owls calling back and forth through the trees on our forested property. 
  • Tend to a Plant: The simple act of watering a plant or noticing a new leaf can be a small source of satisfaction. This year my mother in law has her greenhouses, and I’ve been watching her plants grow from seedling, and it really is something joyful about starting something from a seed and seeing it through. 
  • Look at Nature Photography: If getting outdoors is difficult, browse through beautiful images of nature, perhaps focusing on the local flora and fauna where you live. For me that’s Galiano Island, and I like looking at pics of the infamous eagles at Bellhouse Park, the orcas in Active Pass, and other random moments of nature that someone has captured here. 
• Tap into Your Creativity:
  
  
  • Doodle or Color: Even a few minutes of simple creative expression can be therapeutic and bring a sense of flow. Consider revisiting those free printable colouring pages you've looked at. You won’t regret it. When I’m colouring or drawing, I like to listen to meditations. It helps calm my nervous system and my brain, and I very much need that sprinkled throughout my day. 
  • Write a Few Lines: Jot down a thought, a feeling, or something you are grateful for. Nothing is too small and remember not to judge yourself. Some days I have gratitude for my family and friends, and other times I am grateful for an app or computer program, or my phone or laptop. There is no right or wrong answers for your own gratitude list. 
  • Listen to an Audiobook or Podcast: Immerse yourself in a story or learn something new. Project Gutenberg offers a wealth of free ebooks to explore, and there are websites that list books on sale and free books daily in an email. I got a Kindle Fire tablet and joined Audible. Depending on what I’m feeling, depends on if I read or listen to a book. Since I’ve been reading so much, I’ve had to start a list of books I’ve read. With my poor memory I might not remember that I’ve read a book. I use an app called Bookly. 
• Connect with Others (Even Briefly):
  
  
  • Exchange a Kind Word: A brief, positive interaction with a loved one, a friend, or even a stranger can brighten your day. It’s nice living in a small town because when you go out, you are bound to bump into someone you know and strike up a conversation. These little social breaks are a great micro-moments and can break up the monotony of the day.
  • Send a Quick Message: Reach out to someone you care about with a simple "thinking of you." I do this quite often, and I would say there’s probably 10 or more people I talk to on a daily basis, either a family member or friend, and it’s those small daily connections that help me stay positive throughout the day.
  • Look at Photos of Loved Ones or Pets: Reminisce about happy times and feel the connection. This is another thing I really like to do. I love looking back through old photos, and reliving great memories. 
• Practice Mindfulness:
  
  
  • Take a Few Deep Breaths: Focus on the sensation of your breath entering and leaving your body. There are apps to help with that, and the one I use is made by the creators of WaterLlama and it gives you a meditative focal point to focus your eyes on as you count your breaths.
  • Engage in a Short Meditation: Even five minutes of mindfulness can help calm your mind. I love taking 5-10 minutes chunks of time to meditate throughout the day. I use Apple Fitness Plus, Balance and Headspace for meditating. 
  • Notice Your Surroundings: Pay attention to the details of your current environment – the colors, the sounds, the textures. I like to find 4 things for each of my 5 senses. I don’t write them down, but I go through them in my head.
• Find Comfort in Routine:
  
  
  • Enjoy a Ritual: Perhaps it's a specific way you make your tea, a certain time of day you dedicate to reading, or a comforting bedtime routine. These small rituals can provide a sense of stability and peace. I am a HUGE believer in routine and habits and this last year I’ve been working on both my morning routine and my evening routine. Both have their purpose, with one being how I start and organize my day, and the other being how I wind down and end my day. One needs to be motivating and inspiring and the other needs to be relaxing and calm. 

Making Micro-Moments a Habit:

The key to truly benefiting from micro-moments is to make them a conscious practice. Here are a few tips:

• Be Intentional: Decide each day to look for these small joys. At first you might forget or it might seem hard, but I promise you if you persevere you will start to notice a shift in your overall thoughts. 
• Pay Attention: Be present in the moment and actively notice the things that bring you a flicker of happiness. I love taking pictures of these moments as a reminder that I DO have joys in my life that bring me happiness, it’s just that my version of happiness is different from an able bodied person’s happiness.
• Keep a Gratitude Journal: Write down the micro-moments you noticed each day. This can help you appreciate them even more and train your brain to look for them. My advice to make this habit stick a little more, is find a notebook or journal that speaks to you, or means something, and use that to keep your daily gratitude.
• Be Patient: It might take time to develop this habit, so be kind to yourself and celebrate the small victories. When I started celebrating my wins, even my small ones, it added to the positive shift that was already taking place in my brain. It reinforced that this was a good thing in my life and something I wanted to continue doing. 

Living with chronic pain is a journey filled with challenges, but it doesn't mean that joy is out of reach. By consciously cultivating and appreciating the small packages of happiness that appear throughout our day, we can find moments of light even in the midst of the storm. These micro-moments, seemingly insignificant on their own, can collectively make a significant difference in our overall well-being, reminding us that even on the toughest days, life still holds beauty, comfort, and moments worth cherishing. So, take a deep breath, open your eyes, and see what small joys await you today.