One of my partners introduced me to the term joy-maxing and it's one that I can't stop thinking about
At a base level it's a call to hedonism. To gorge on sensations, revel in possibilities; why not kiss that cutie, have that edible, enjoy that meal? If you're lying in the grass then feel the blades on your back, the wind lightly brushing past, the slight chill in the air and the warm embrace of the sun, listen to the birds chirping and the leaves rustling, seek out and focus on every little detail of those sensations instead of getting so lost in your own head that you don't become properly nourished by existing. Life is too short not to enjoy the moment
It extends beyond that though. I know a thing I really struggle with is I'll get caught sitting at my laptop for a while just...caught on the internet and Discord and whatever rather than doing something meaningful and genuinely enjoyable in the moment, almost like I'm waiting for life to happen to me. The reality is that instead of looking at Twitter and Instagram and my Discord channels for the ten millionth time I could be watching a film, reading some poetry, going on a walk, lying down and listening to some music in bed and actually relaxing rather than letting the digital world turn me into this bundle of tension. Joy-maxing requires that you not be treating life like some fucking idle game and instead that you actually seek the things that will make you feel good and fulfilled
There's also a self-care component to it to, right? Like, you're not gonna be set up to max-that-joy if you're not fed and hydrated, needing a shower and not following through on it and feeling that uncleanliness is one of the best ways to build a barrier between you and your joy, having a mountain of tasks hanging over you is just going to distract you from living in the moment so get some of that shit done so that you can actually relax properly and enjoy a good book
It's not all so easy of course, I'm someone who suffers intense anxiety and that's a tough barrier. None of this happens just overnight, But just the word joy-maxing on its own manages to single-handedly conjure up this whole philosophy the more that you think about it and I think it's something for everyone to aspire to; worry less, embrace hedonism more, and max that joy
