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B.I.B.L.E (basic instructions before leaving earth)

Seeking joy in hardships.

Peace and blessings, everyone. I hope your Saturday is starting off well.

Life has truly been life-ing, and it has been a while. Still, I love seeing this community slowly and steadily grow.

Today, I want to talk about a difficult subject: maintaining joy during hard times.

This may be one of the most challenging things we are asked to do in life. When you are struggling, it can be difficult to hear someone say, “Time heals all things,” or, “This will be over soon.” In the middle of hardship, those words can feel distant or even dismissive.

But here is the difficult truth: seasons do change.

We will all experience hardships—some heavier than others and some lasting much longer than others. Part of the challenge lies in our perception, our acceptance, and, in a nutshell, our mindset.

Our mindsets are shaped by our experiences, beliefs, and habits. The good news is that they are not permanently fixed. They can be challenged, strengthened, and changed.

This is where Jesus comes in.

I want to make something clear about this community: I am a believer. However, I also understand that religious language can sometimes make faith difficult for people to grasp.

“Just trust Jesus.”

“Look to Jesus.”

“Jesus is the key.”

But what does that actually mean? What does it look like in everyday life?

I like to approach it from a practical perspective: think of Jesus as the example and the stories as a playbook.

I will not go deeply into those stories here because I remember what it felt like when people talked to me about biblical stories I had never read for myself. This is where the personal work begins. Seek them out. Read them. Sit with them. Ask questions about them.

Reading and understanding those stories can help reshape our perspective on how joy is obtained and maintained.

Now, let’s break this down through biology, chemistry, and practical application.

Imagine that you are facing a difficult situation. Maybe you are experiencing homelessness. Maybe your baby is sick. Maybe you believe your significant other is being unfaithful or dishonest. There are countless circumstances that can weigh heavily on our minds, hearts, bodies, and reactions.

Stressful situations can trigger the release of chemicals such as cortisol, one of the body’s primary stress hormones. When stress continues for too long, it can affect how we feel physically and emotionally.

We may experience exhaustion, trouble sleeping, sleeping too much, restlessness, anxiety, headaches, stomachaches, overeating, undereating, or many other reactions.

Naturally, we begin searching for immediate relief.

That relief often comes through quick bursts of dopamine: scrolling, eating, drinking, using drugs, consuming sugar, shopping, seeking attention, or turning to whatever our personal “vice” may be.

The challenge is not to eliminate dopamine. Dopamine is necessary and is not inherently bad. The goal is to stop relying only on quick fixes and begin developing habits that support longer-lasting feelings of connection, stability, purpose, and well-being.

That may include spending meaningful time with others, helping someone, exercising, praying, resting, creating something, getting sunlight, completing a healthy task, expressing gratitude, or participating in your community.

The goal is to build healthy, lasting habits—even while you are in a slump or going through a painful situation.

These habits will not make the problem disappear. They will not provide a permanent fix or guarantee that you will feel joyful every moment. What they can do is help retrain your mind and body so that difficult situations do not leave you feeling completely helpless.

This is how we sometimes meet people who are facing extreme circumstances but can still smile, love, serve, and hold on to hope.

Now, let’s bring this back to Jesus.

Jesus was consistently engaged in good works. He served others, spent time in community, showed compassion, rested when necessary, prayed, taught, and lived with purpose.

Doing good for others can strengthen our sense of connection and meaning. It is an expression of love—but it is also important to remember that love does not require us to neglect ourselves.

Anything taken to an unhealthy extreme can become harmful. Balance matters. Rest matters. Boundaries matter. Joy, pleasure, movement, connection, and service all have their place.

The purpose is not to pretend that everything is fine.

The purpose is to develop healthier ways of carrying ourselves through the moments when everything is not fine.

Anyway, I have talked long enough. I hope someone made it this far, because reaching even one person creates the possibility for something positive to grow—and that person may eventually pay it forward.

As always, peace and blessings.

—Anima