Finding Joy in the Chaos

Let’s be honest: a lot is happening in the world right now.

There’s a heaviness in the world and the weight of it all sort of lingers in the background of our days. And yet we’re still expected to keep showing up, keep producing, and keep running businesses as if nothing else exists.

If you’ve found it harder to focus or to feel motivated…that makes sense and is completely valid. You’re responding to reality.

For heart-led, socially-conscious business owners, this stuff lands even heavier. We feel things deeply. We actually care. No wonder why it’s so hard to switch into sales mode or fire up our productivity engines when the world feels like it’s burning.

Alice, one of our community members, recently asked something that really stopped me in my tracks:

That simple, honest question put into words something a lot of people struggle with lately. And you know what? The answers that flooded in afterwards were a beautiful reminder that 1. we’re not alone in this, and 2. joy isn’t frivolous, it’s fuel.

Why joy matters (especially now)

Hustle culture tells us that slowing down is at best a luxury, and at worst failure. With play being something we have to earn after being productive enough. Wild has never subscribed to this thought pattern (because it’s total rubbish) and to both our team and our members, joy isn’t simply the reward at the end…it’s what keeps us going at all.

Play helps us regulate, brings us back into our bodies, and gives our nervous systems a break. It reminds us that we are human beings first, business owners second.

Choosing softness right now isn’t avoidance. It’s care.

Creative and playful hobby ideas

Here’s a collection of fun ideas that Wild members shared (plus some extras), that we just had to bring out of the group chat to inspire and remind everyone to inject some softness into life.

- Make a ritual out of brewing tea or coffee

- Pick up an old instrument or learn a new one

- Reading for fun, not self-improvement

- Scrapbooking or junk journalling

- Sewing, knitting, crochet, punch needling

- Quizzes — online, at the pub, quiz-books

- Going to gigs, making playlists, and listening to music intentionally

- Board games or video gaming (solo or not)

- Send snail mail to friends, family or even a penpal

- Take up puzzling

- Colouring, sketching or doodling

- Going on nature walks, hiking or forest-bathing

- Creative writing, poetry or free-writing for yourself

- Movement — yoga, swimming, pickleball, pilates, dancing

- Start collecting something like stamps, seaglass, Pokémon cards, or teeny tiny ducks

- Host crafternoons with friends and you can do a bit of everything together!

These don’t have to be big activities and that’s precisely the point. Joy doesn’t have to be loud, social, or expensive. I’d even argue that it’s the small things that matter more. As long as you are doing something that brings a smile to your face, it’s worth it.

Choose softness without guilt

We’re not meant to function “normally” when things aren’t normal. And we’re not failing if our capacity looks different right now. It can feel difficult to honour our own needs but it’s important to allow gentle play to sit alongside the business work we continue to do.

Chaos doesn’t have to be all noise. You can find softness (even in the middle of it) and you can find joy hidden in the spaces between tasks. Promise.