Every year my youngest daughter and I make our annual pilgrimage to the Aum New Year's Festival at South Head, north of Auckland, New Zealand. It is a ritual we have honoured for many years now, and during that time I have watched my daughter grow from a small child into a young teenager, right alongside my own continued evolution as a woman and mother.
The time we spend at Aum is filled with fun, laughter, music, dancing, connection, healing, and a return to simplicity. It is a time of joy. For four days, there is no cellphone reception, no constant digital pull, no news cycle constantly humming in the background. Instead we are immersed in artistry, authenticity, and self-expression in all its forms. Like all festivals, Aum is a coming together of people for the sole purpose of connection and creativity - a relief and reprieve from the relentless pressures of daily life.
 |
Nature as Medicine
The festival is held in a sandy, bush-filled landscape where deer roam freely, and the White Stag - a rare and awe-inspiring presence - is sometimes sighted. His quiet majesty and peaceful nature serve as a potent reminder that the natural world is grounding, powerful, and deeply regulating for the nervous system. In these moments, nature becomes medicine, drawing us back into our bodies and out of our minds.
One of the things I love most about Aum is the love and respect shown to all who dare to be different. I'm under no illusion - it's clear that many people are experiencing heightened emotional states during their journey - but rather than detracting from the experience, this openness only amplifies the vibration of acceptance and compassion.
Smiles, movement, and the raucous bellowing of music and dance echo throughout the valley. We meet old friends, and make new ones, and feel held by community. There is freedom here - freedom to express, to feel, to be witnessed.
Joy as a Lifeline
This return to joy awakens the child within and fosters hope. It fills the cup in preparation of the year ahead. The elation we feel upon arrival, and the quiet sadness that follows as we leave - knowing there is a whole year to live before returning - mirrors the rhythm of life itself. It feels like coming home, only to set out once more on another adventure.
One of the more subtle yet profound aspects of moving through the hormonal cycle is the gradual decline of joy. It's difficult to define because it happens quietly. Like a thief in the night, joy slowly tiptoes away with oestrogen - like best friends abandoning a sinking ship. You don't realise they are gone until laughter becomes harder, excitement feels muted, and dancing feels like something you used to do rather than something you are.
Menopause and the Sacred Call to Joy
As we move through Madhya - the middle years, including peri-menopause and menopause - finding joy becomes not just important, but essential. Like attracts like. And when misery seeps in unnoticed it gathers momentum, and before we realise it, our light begins to dim and life begins to feel heavier, harder, and quite frankly, depressing.
Menopause is often framed as something to endure, but in many traditional cultures it is seen as a sacred transition - a time of reclamation, wisdom, and embodied power. Joy during this phase is not frivolous; it is medicine. It nourishes the nervous system, balances hormones, supports emotional resilience, and restores vitality.
What Joy Looks Like is Personal
Joy looks different for each of us. For some, it's time spent with family and friends. For others, it's creative expression, learning something new, or starting a fresh venture. Some find joy in solitude, reflection, and time in nature.
Joy is a feeling - a physical experience created by endorphins, serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin weaving together within the body. It is expansive, colourful, and alive. It enriches the blood, strengthens the heart, supports digestion, boosts immune function, and lights up neural pathways like an aurora across the night sky.
Joy is not indulgent; it is biologically supportive.
Claiming Joy as a Daily Practice
Joy is something we must consciously claim. It requires tending to the body, nourishing wellbeing, and supporting the delicate hormonal dance that shifts rhythm during the transition of ages - sometimes more psytrance than waltz.
Joy can be found:
In a child's laughter
In crashing ocean waves
In a relatable, silly meme
In a pet's loyalty
In a lover's arms
In a vast, star-filled sky
As we move into a new year - amid global uncertainty, political unrest, economic pressure, and environmental concern - it is more important than ever to identify and protect what brings us joy.
The Modern Joy Thieves
There are many things that quietly erode our ability to feel joy:
Overwork
Poor nutrition
Lifestyle imbalance
Environmental stressors
World politics
Excessive screen time
Unhealthy relationships
Unresolved trauma
Financial strain
Job insecurity
Emotional exhaustion
Housing instability
In the years following 2020, we find ourselves navigating a rapidly changing world. Our nervous systems are taxed. Our emotional bandwidth is stretched. Balancing daily life - tipping toward joy rather than anxiety - now requires intention and care.
Joy is a Need, Not a Luxury
Filling your bucket with joy is no longer optional. It is a need, not a want - particularly during menopause, when hormonal shifts make us more sensitive to stress and depletion.
So the question becomes simple, yet profound.
What brings you joy?
And perhaps more importantly - what are you willing to release to make room for it?
A Gentle Call to Action
As you move through this season of life, consider joy as a sacred practice. Seek it, protect it, and invite it in daily - through food, movement, rest, creativity, connection, and nature. Let it guide you home to yourself, again and again.
Because joy is not something we grow out of -
it is something we grow into.
Comments
Post a Comment