How’s Your Bliss? 10 Doctor-Approved Ways to Protect Your Joy During Life Transitions
“Hey sis! How’s your bliss?”
My sister sent me that text recently.
Simple question.
Powerful question.
And one I realized I hadn’t asked myself in quite some time.
Many of us regularly monitor our finances, careers, schedules, and health. Yet during major life transitions—career changes, parenthood, caregiving, illness, grief, divorce, entrepreneurship, relocation, or personal reinvention—we often stop paying attention to something equally important:
Our bliss.
As a Doctor of Pharmacy who has worked in hospital, clinical, and pharmacy benefit management settings, I’ve seen countless patients and professionals become consumed by responsibilities, setbacks, deadlines, diagnoses, and distractions.
Over time, many lose touch with the activities, thoughts, relationships, and practices that once brought them joy.
The result?
More stress.
More anxiety.
Less resilience.
Bliss isn’t frivolous.
It’s protective.
Here are 10 ways to preserve it.
1. Surround Yourself With Meaningful Words
What we repeatedly see becomes part of our internal dialogue.
The messages hanging on our walls, sitting on our desks, tucked into journals, or displayed on our mirrors matter more than we realize.
Choose reminders that strengthen hope, courage, gratitude, and perspective.
Words have a way of finding us exactly when we need them.
That’s one reason I created my collection of encouragement cards and desk reminders—small reminders designed to be felt, kept, and revisited when life gets noisy.
2. Practice Positive Self-Talk
You spend more time with yourself than anyone else.
Pay attention to how you speak to yourself.
Replace:
“I’m failing.”
With:
“I’m learning.”
Replace:
“I can’t handle this.”
With:
“I’m handling this one step at a time.”
Self-talk influences stress levels, confidence, resilience, and emotional health.
Speak to yourself like someone worth encouraging.
3. Schedule Bliss Like You Schedule Meetings
Most people leave joy to chance.
Instead, schedule it.
Block time for things that genuinely replenish you:
Morning walks
Reading
Music
Gardening
Surfing
Volleyball
Time with loved ones
Creative hobbies
If it’s important enough to improve your well-being, it’s important enough to make the calendar.
4. Practice Higher Invocation
One technique I learned years ago remains surprisingly effective.
Wrap your arms around yourself.
Give yourself a genuine hug.
Then say:
“Wonderful.
Wonderful.
Wonderful me.”
Three times.
It may feel silly at first.
Do it anyway.
Physical touch and positive affirmations can interrupt stress patterns and create an immediate emotional reset.
5. Protect Your Energy From Constant Negativity
The human brain already has a negativity bias.
Modern media amplifies it.
Be intentional about what you consume.
Limit doom-scrolling.
Reduce exposure to outrage-driven content.
Choose information diets that inform without overwhelming.
Protecting your peace is not avoidance.
It’s stewardship.
6. Move Your Body Daily
Movement remains one of the most evidence-supported tools for improving mood and reducing stress.
You don’t need a complicated routine.
Walk.
Stretch.
Swim.
Dance.
Lift weights.
Play a sport.
Movement changes brain chemistry in ways that support emotional well-being.
7. Stay Connected to People Who Feel Like Home
Transitions can be isolating.
Reach out before you feel like it.
Call a friend.
Schedule coffee.
Text your sibling.
Join a community.
Human connection remains one of the strongest predictors of emotional resilience.
8. Keep a Gratitude Record
The goal isn’t toxic positivity.
The goal is balance.
Each evening, write down three things that went right.
Big or small.
A good conversation.
A healthy meal.
A beautiful sunset.
A problem solved.
Over time, this trains your attention toward abundance rather than scarcity.
9. Give Yourself Permission to Rest
Rest is not a reward for productivity. And it’s not something you save for retirement.
It’s a biological requirement.
Sleep.
Pause.
Take breaks.
Leave margin in your schedule.
Many professionals wait until exhaustion forces them to stop.
Recovery works better when practiced proactively.
10. Remember That Seasons Change
Whatever transition you’re facing right now:
It is a season.
Not your identity.
Not your entire story.
A difficult chapter does not define the whole book.
Trust that growth is happening, even when progress feels invisible.
The person you’re becoming may be emerging through the very challenges you’re trying to survive.
Related Reading
If this article resonated with you, you may also enjoy:
Emotional Reinforcement Changes Things
Why the messages we repeatedly hear—and tell ourselves—have a profound impact on confidence, resilience, and personal growth.
Why Encouragement Still Matters
A reflection on the often-overlooked power of encouragement and why it remains one of the most meaningful gifts we can offer ourselves and others.
On Encouragement, From Someone Who Works With Words
Thoughts from a spoken word artist and pharmacist on the role words play in helping us navigate life’s challenges.
10 Encouragement Cards to Send a Friend
A collection of thoughtful messages and reminders for the people we care about most.
Final Thought
Health matters.
Wealth matters.
But bliss matters too.
Protect it.
Prioritize it.
Nurture it.
Because when life becomes demanding—and eventually it will—your bliss often becomes the thing that helps carry you through.
And maybe it’s worth asking yourself more often:
How’s your bliss?
If you’re looking for meaningful reminders to keep close during life’s transitions, explore my collection of Words Worth Keeping—encouragement cards designed to be revisited whenever you need them most.