Ever had a small interruption totally hijack your mood and then in the blink of an eye, quietly change your whole day?
It’s all about the moments we almost miss, and why it might matter more than we think.

A short story exploring disruption, emotional regulation, and noticing. Perfect for reflection, discussion, or classroom use.

At ESSDACK, we believe joy is regulation, connection, and courage in motion. It helps create a space of safety and dignity for ourselves and others. It’s what allows educators to keep showing up for students, families, and one another even when the work feels heavy. Joy reminds caregivers that healing happens in the tiny moments: the shared laughter, the quiet gratitude, the unexpected sparkle in a child’s eyes.

That’s the heart of  Joy.
It’s not about chasing a perfect life; it’s about noticing the small, steady pulses of life that are already good. Joy is daily, doable, and resilient. It’s less about conditions (“when things slow down, I’ll rest”) and more about awareness (“even in this chaos, I can breathe, laugh, and notice light”).

Let’s be honest, being visibly joyful in professional spaces can feel a little risky. The world often tells educators and caregivers to stay serious, to appear composed, efficient, and always “on task.”. Smiling too much? You might be called naïve. Wearing bright colors or using playful language? You risk being dismissed as “unprofessional.” But here’s the thing: visible joy isn’t childish. It’s courageous leadership.

If joy is the sunlight of our nervous system, killjoys are the clouds that roll in and dim it. Every educator, caregiver, and human being has them: those moments, habits, or mindsets that quietly drain our spark. Sometimes they sneak in as inner critics whispering “you should be doing more.” Other times, they arrive in the form of environments that feel gray, disconnected, or relentlessly task-driven.

From jumping to sunshine, the science says small things matter. Move your art around. Bring in plants. Wear bright socks. Dance between tasks or while you’re making dinner. Or as you’re getting dressed on a Saturday morning.

Joy spotting is the simple act of looking for what’s good, beautiful, or alive. It’s mindfulness with a wink.

Here’s the hard truth: joyful design is often treated as a luxury. But joy is an equity issue. Yep.

Our environments are silent teachers. They tell our nervous systems whether to relax or brace.

Why do balloons, blossoms, and bright colors make us smile? Evolution gives us clues.

The “aesthetics of joy” is more than decoration. It’s neuroscience. Ingrid Fetell Lee’s research shows that certain visual patterns such as round shapes, bright colors, abundance, lightness trigger joy responses in our brains.

Let’s be clear: joy isn’t about pretending everything’s fine. Fake joy is the “toxic positivity” that demands smiles when people are hurting. Real joy makes space for sadness, stress, and healing.

Joy isn’t just in your head. It’s in your senses. Neuroscience reminds us that our sensory systems (sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell) feed directly into emotional centers of the brain.

If joy were a vitamin, every teacher and caregiver would need a daily dose. Research shows that small moments of joy change our biology.

Most of us use the words joy and happiness like they’re twins, but according to neuroscience (and probably your last Monday morning staff meeting) they’re not quite the same thing.

We were taught that every good teacher, at the start of every school year, has a beautifully written list of classroom rules ready to go. These are clear expectations about behavior, effort, and respect. Every good educator I know reviews them with students, hangs them neatly on the wall, and feels that satisfying sense of preparedness. But even with all that structure, as a classroom teacher I often felt something was missing, mostly because some kids just chose not to follow the expectations. Some students followed the rules easily, but others didn’t seem to buy in at all. And that’s frustrating.

Every teacher knows the moment when a calm classroom shifts. A student’s eyes narrow, their tone sharpens, their body tenses. Something has triggered them. From that moment forward, the adult’s choices matter. The difference between escalation and recovery often rests on how the teacher responds in those fragile seconds.

When we lose our calm—racing heart, tight chest, scattered thoughts—our brain slips into survival mode. The good news? We can guide ourselves back. By recalling safe memories, places, people, pets, or practices, we activate the body’s natural calming systems and restore balance.

Here are 6 powerful ways to return to regulation.

🚨 Power Struggle in Action 🚨

A 3rd grader stands on a table. The teacher commands, “Get down.” Noah shouts back, “No!”
In that moment, everything hangs on the teacher’s next choice.

One ending spirals into chaos.
The other brings calm.

Where would you pause, rewind, and choose differently?

She tried everything in her usual toolbox: pep talks, reminders, warnings, even a half-class lecture filled with her most motivational lines (and, she admitted, a couple of threats). Still, nothing changed. So she upped the ante: students who turned in quality work on time would earn 10 minutes of free time on Fridays. Those who didn’t? A hit to their grade until work was turned in and improved.

The result? A small boost from the kids who were already doing okay.

The students who were most behind, though, stayed stuck. The lectures started coming more often. The frustration set in. She started waking up at 3am thinking about unfinished assignments and wasted time.