My colleague Angela Haupt’s piece “How to Find Small Moments of Joy in Dark Times” is a useful combination of insight from experts and useful advice that even the most cynical among us can put into practice. Tips include making a joy bucket list, creating daily habits you look forward to, expressing gratitude, taking a recess break, and helping others.

Angela and I connected about the article. “I loved the idea of making a joy bucket list, and have already made my own,” she told me. “Singing my heart out at a concert, hugging my cats and dogs, eating an amazing piece of cake, bicycling through the woods on a fall day. Now, when I’m feeling down, I can pull out this list and won’t have to think hard about how to spark a few minutes of joy.”

Angela and I happen to find joy in remarkably similar small moments. And I happen to have concert tickets this weekend, so I aim to put every one of these ideas into practice within the next week. (I don’t have pets, so hopefully my kids will consent to letting me hug them.) In the elusive search for moments of joy, what works for you? Write to me at andrea@time.com. You’ll find me, almost always, eating cake.

Best,
Andrea