How to create a ‘pandemic of joy’ by a world renowned expert

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How to create a ‘pandemic of joy’ by a world renowned expert

Fox News Digital spoke to the holistic health expert and best-selling author during a time of coronavirus, high inflation, stress, and strain — here’s his advice for surviving and even thriving in a New Year

For those who feel frantic, worried, and stressed in this time of COVID-19, high inflation, high crime, bare grocery shelves, cultural divisiveness, and much more, holistic health expert and author Deepak Chopra has some calming advice and insights.

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Speaking to Fox News Digital in the early weeks of the New Year of 2022, Chopra emphasized that all must be put in context. We have more control over our attitudes than we think, he urged, no matter what is swirling around us.

“When we have situations such as the pandemic, or a financial crisis, or when somebody loses a loved one, or loses a job, or someone is diagnosed with cancer — these things can happen to people at almost any time,” he told Fox News Digital during the interview.

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“And they have. We are not the first generation” to undergo hard times and struggles of all types, he noted.

Chopra, 75, reminded others that in America, “We had the Second World War. We had the atomic bomb. And of course, we had the Holocaust, the Great Depression, before that the First World War, and so much more.”

“You keep going back, and this is humanity, for every generation,” he said. “So in terms of the difficulties we may be undergoing right now, we are not unique.”

With that in mind, instead of allowing turmoil around us to become overwhelming, he said, “We should at this moment question what life is about — and remind ourselves of the answer. Life is about experiencing joy.”

Easier said than done, when there is great challenge and tragedy occurring in our own lives or very close to us, of course. And many readers know and understand — and value — the power of prayer and of reaching out to God, both in good times and in bad.

Yet Chopra’s message remains the same: “If joy is not the measure of your success, then you are wasting your life. Ask yourself: Am I doing what is joyful?”

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Social scientists have studied happiness and joy for many years, Chopra commented — and key takeaways exist from that extensive body of research.

“Do you realize,” he said, “that 50% of the experience of happiness or unhappiness that we feel in our lives comes from our own attitudes? So, is what is happening an opportunity, or is it a problem?” he said.

In a nutshell, his advice is this: We cannot look to outside forces to be the sole source of our happiness or even a major source. We must, even in the toughest of times, strive to discover it within ourselves — and find and identify the happiness no matter what may be going on.

“We can start to create a pandemic of joy. And we need that. We need a pandemic of joy right now.”

— Deepak Chopra to Fox News Digital
“Even during the pandemic, think of it: There are people who created great new businesses,” said Chopra, or those who grew their businesses enormously.

“Look at Zoom, for example,” he said. “Look at the new vaccinations that have come out. Look at the new technologies that have come out. And there is much more to come — there may even be personalized vaccines,” he said, not just for COVID-19, but for other diseases as well, including cancer.

In the right frame of mind, he said, “we can start to create a pandemic of joy. And we need that. We need a pandemic of joy right now.”

Ten percent or so of people’s happiness, Chopra also noted, comes from certain circumstances in our lives.

But that final component — 40% to 50% of our happiness experience — comes from “the choices we make every day in our lives. Are you acting only for personal pleasure, or are you making other people happy?”

Chopra shared that “it is very easy to make other people happy if you follow the four As. I will tell you about them.”

One: Attention. “Listen to other people. Give them your full attention,” he said.
Two: Appreciation. “Be grateful for the people who are in your life and whom you care about.”
Three: Affection. “Tell the people you care about that you love them. Share your affection with them.”
Four: Acceptance. “Don’t try to change other people because it is hard enough for you to try to change yourself,” he said.
Chopra added, “If you keep those four things in mind, you can start to create a pandemic of joy in your own life.”

We don’t often hear of a “pandemic of joy” right now, to be sure.

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