I’m not talking about your sadness, anxiety, or shame. Have you felt your happiness today? Did you savor the joy in that first sip of morning coffee? Did the warmth in your heart linger when you received a text from someone you care about, who cares about you? Did you feel gratitude when your and your friend’s schedules magically aligned, allowing for that long-overdue catch-up? When your manager praised you? When you held your child close? When you glimpsed the perfect sunset on your drive home? When you finally slipped into bed after a long day?

Did you remember to feel, today?

You are programmed to notice all the intense feelings. Your therapist tells you to sit with your pain, your anger, your shame, your sorrow, and your grief. And you’ve sat with them. They are your constant, welcomed companions. You don’t hide them in the boot of your car anymore; they sit with you in the passenger seat. You don’t hide them under your bed, they are on your bedside table, under the spotlight of your reading lamp. You even put up a little shelf for them, next to your shampoo bottles, instead of washing them away down the shower drain.

Well done. Really. Your effort is admirable. But what about the little feelings?

Do yourself a favour: give your other, quieter, more gentle companion the same level of attention. Like an introverted child in the busy playground, your moments of happiness need a gentle nudge to step forward. Those quiet jolts of joy, those fleeting moments of peace—they’re here too. In fact, they’ve always been here, waiting for you to meet their gaze. Give them space to shine, like soft sunlight peeking through your curtains.

Don’t expect them to take up the space you made for your heavier emotions, replacing them completely. That’s not what they’re here for. Instead, when you finally acknowledge them, they’ll settle into a cozy little spot alongside the darkness. And with time, they’ll blend beautifully—light and dark, side by side.

Now, doesn’t that feel magical? So, what small joy will you notice tomorrow?