How to Notice Small Sources of Joy During a Difficult Time

01The coffee that was missing

In the original essay, Sabbir travels to Bangladesh to see family and friends. The visit is meaningful, yet something small feels absent: his morning coffee—the aroma, warmth of the cup and familiar pause at the beginning of the day.

The story does not argue that coffee creates happiness. It notices something subtler: daily wellbeing is partly built from ordinary sensory experiences and rituals that help us feel at home in our own life.

02Practise savouring, not forced gratitude

Savouring means giving deliberate attention to a positive experience while it is happening. It is different from ordering yourself to be grateful or comparing your pain with someone else’s.

For 20 seconds, pause. Notice what you can see, hear, smell or feel. Name why this moment matters. Resist photographing, rating or improving it. Let the experience be sufficient at its actual size.

• Choose one ordinary experience you already encounter.
• Use specific language: not “nice weather,” but “warm light across the table.”
• Let the moment coexist with whatever remains difficult.
• Record one sentence so your attention learns what to notice again.

03Build a menu for low, medium and better-energy days

A good practice survives imperfect days. Create options that match your available energy rather than an ideal version of yourself.

• Low energy: open a window, listen to one song, hold a warm drink or sit beside someone safe.
• Medium energy: walk around the block, prepare familiar food, call a friend or spend ten minutes outside.
• Better energy: visit a valued place, make something, exercise, host a simple meal or help another person.

04Know what small joy can—and cannot—do

Small pleasures may restore attention and widen a difficult day. They do not resolve unsafe housing, bereavement, depression, debt or an abusive relationship. Use them as nourishment for action, not as a substitute for action or care.

A life does not have to become problem-free before it contains something worth noticing. The modest joy is not the whole answer. It may be the breath that helps you continue toward the answer.