“Your life lesson is to find joy in life,” I told my client, who looked like how I would imagine young Dostoyevsky, or Tolstoy, or any other brilliant artist with a tortured soul. My client replied that I couldn’t understand how absurdly hard what I’d just asked of him was, or something along those lines. But I knew, oh, I knew so very well. 

Like my client, I was born with Saturn on my Sun. People like us feel as if we carry the world on our shoulders from the moment of our birth. 

But as an astrologer, I found that joy isn’t only hard for people with Saturn on their natal Sun. It’s hard for everyone! 

According to Michael Linden, a professor of psychiatry at the Charité University Hospital in Berlin, if you track a person’s emotions over the course of a day, “only a tiny percentage is spent in a state we would call ‘happy’. Most of the time, we are ‘okay’ or ‘fine,’ trying to ignore some minor discomfort; feeling a little tired, run down, upset, stressed out, irritated, allergic, or in pain.” *

It is crucial to understand that the Moon rules our moment-to-moment emotions, while joy is not really an emotion. It is a state of the heart, an approach to life, an attitude, and is ruled by Jupiter. 

Our emotional state will never reflect a state of continuous bliss (I know, it’s disappointing, but trust me, resisting this truth will only make you suffer). With that, we can certainly take actions to cultivate more joy in our lives by balancing or boosting Jupiter Energy. 

The reason why most of us don’t live in joy is that cultivating joy is hard work! You see, joy isn’t an emotion; it’s a practice. 

I’ve listed some of the most critical things that will boost your joy in a matter of weeks. They worked for me, and they are mostly scientifically proven. Some of them are trivial – you know that if you do them, you’ll be more joyful, but you still don’t do them.

As you read this list, choose one thing and apply it to your life. Please write me in a few weeks to let me know how it worked. 

1. Celebrate your achievements. Because of our negativity bias, we tend to focus on what’s not working in our lives and overlook our little victories and achievements. Take a moment every day to reflect on all the great things you have done today.  
   
   
2. Sleep well. There is nothing that boosts joy like consistent good night’s sleep. Scientists know that “Sleep quality significantly impacts subjective well-being”. Since I’ve started tracking my sleep and dramatically improved my sleep efficiency, I feel better than ever before. 

3. Prioritize exercise. It’s scientifically proven that physical exercise boosts mood, well-being, and joy. Exercise is the best medicine for physical, mental, and emotional challenges. 

4. Reduce alcohol and substance use. They might help you get high, but in the long run, they dim your joy. Why is it that Buddhist monks always radiate joy? Probably, because they are the most sober people on earth. 

5. Less in more. And I mean less social media and news consumption, more joy. At least avoid them one or two hours before bed. These wonderful and well-intended outlets are meant to excite you, and there isn’t a better way to excite you than to upset you. 

6. Show your gratitude. It’s not enough to say gratitude; you also need to show the world that you actually mean it. Thank the people in your life, show them that you care, and cherish your time with them. Show your body that you are grateful for it by following recommendations 2-4. Show your mental and emotional world that you care for them by applying recommendation # 5.  

7. Live your dream. Nothing brings more joy than waking up with passion and excitement to live another day. “Dream as if you will live forever. Live as if you will die tomorrow.” Said James Dean. Losing my mother when I was eighteen connected me with death, which then, in turn, taught me how precious every moment of life is. 

I know there are some life limitations, and it’s not as easy as that. But oftentimes, it is easier than we think, and some of our limitations, not all of them, are self-inflicted.

I hope you plan to attend my FREE masterclass, The Art of Wanting – Set Yourself Up for Success in 2026, so that you can start living your dream, too.

Wishing you a happy full moon and a wonderful week,

With love,
Yael 

* Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren’t Growing Up, by Abigail Shrier, page 45