Joy as Revolution: Finding Light in Challenging Times

Created with gratitude for the Black feminist writers and activists who have long taught us about the revolutionary power of joy.

It's easy to feel like cowering right now—anxious, overwhelmed. But as an autistic woman who has built a life and business in a world that wasn't designed for me, I've learned something powerful: Joy isn't just an emotion—it's ammunition. Every smile, every moment of peace, every breath of authentic self-expression becomes an act of resistance against systems that profit from collective despair.

The Revolutionary Nature of Joy

Let me be crystal clear: This isn't about plastering on a smile and pretending everything is fine. Revolutionary joy isn't found in spiritual bypassing or toxic positivity. It's forged in the trenches of doing the hard, necessary work of facing reality head-on.

True revolutionary joy emerges through our willingness to acknowledge the depth of our grief and rage. It grows stronger when we face things directly without flinching away from uncomfortable truths. This joy develops its revolutionary power when we examine our privilege and biases, staying engaged even when we want to numb out or look away. It deepens when we show up for our communities, especially when it feels hardest to do so.

Only by doing this deeper work can we access the authentic joy that fuels sustained resistance and genuine transformation.

Why Joy Becomes Resistance

Joy becomes revolutionary when we refuse to let oppression steal our capacity for pleasure and connection. But this joy isn't lightweight or superficial. It's earned through the daily practice of confronting uncomfortable truths about ourselves and our society. We build it by creating genuine allyship through consistent action and doing our own healing work so we don't perpetuate harm. This revolutionary joy grows stronger as we create inclusive spaces, even when it means challenging our own comfort, and as we practice collective care while maintaining necessary boundaries.

Practical Ways to Cultivate Revolutionary Joy

The path to revolutionary joy isn't found in simple checkboxes or easy answers. It's discovered in the daily practice of showing up, doing the work, and consciously choosing how we engage with both struggle and happiness. The practices below aren't quick fixes—they're invitations to dig deeper and build sustainable joy while staying engaged in the work of transformation. Each practice offers a way to combine personal healing with collective liberation, allowing us to build the stamina and resilience needed for long-term revolutionary work.

Honor Your Nervous System While Staying Engaged

• Notice your body's signals without judgment

• Create boundaries around energy-draining activities

• Learn your triggers and capacity limits

• Take breaks before you're completely depleted

• Return to the work when you're cup is full

• Build stamina for staying with discomfort

Set Clear Boundaries While Maintaining Connection

• Define your non-negotiables around justice and ethics

• Practice saying "no" to complicity with oppressive systems

• Create consistent routines that help you stay engaged

• Limit exposure to overwhelming input while staying informed

• Choose where and how to spend your energy wisely

• Build relationships that support both rest and resistance

Foster Authentic Community Through Difficult Conversations

• Connect with others doing anti-oppression work

• Share resources and support while challenging each other's growth

• Create spaces for genuine interaction and accountability

• Celebrate victories while acknowledging ongoing struggles

• Practice giving and receiving feedback

• Build coalitions across differences

Embrace Pleasure as Power

• Find moments for play without dismissing serious issues

• Celebrate what your body can do while fighting ableism

• Notice small joys while staying engaged with hard truths

• Make time for activities that rebuild your capacity for action

• Use joy to fuel sustained resistance

• Remember that your pleasure threatens systems of oppression

Practice Collective Care with Accountability

• Look for ways to both give and receive support

• Share your resources while examining privilege

• Create accessibility in your work and interactions

• Support others in your community while respecting autonomy

• Build networks of mutual aid

• Learn from marginalized communities' resilience practices

For Those Who Hold Space for Others

If you're in a position where others look to you for guidance—whether as a yoga teacher, manager, community leader, or friend—your authentic joy becomes even more powerful. When you choose joy alongside justice, you demonstrate the profound possibility of staying soft in a hard world while fighting to change it. Through your example, you show others that awareness and peace can coexist with action, creating ripple effects that inspire and sustain others in their own journey. This is how we model sustainable activism and engagement, proving that doing the hard work and finding joy aren't mutually exclusive but deeply interconnected.

For Those Seeking Their Path

Your journey matters deeply for those navigating these times without a formal leadership role. Your personal joy becomes power when paired with action, creating waves of change in ways you might never see. When you choose to rest, knowing it fuels your capacity for resilience, you demonstrate revolutionary self-care. Your authentic self-expression, combined with conscious action, helps create the world we're fighting for. When part of collective action, every small act of resistance builds momentum toward transformation. Your healing journey, undertaken with awareness and purpose, supports the healing of our entire community.

Moving Forward Together

Whether teaching yoga, taking classes, leading teams or supporting causes, parenting children, or caring for elders, your conscious joy matters profoundly. In these uncertain times, choosing joy alongside justice transforms into a form of protest against despair, a way of healing generational trauma, and a path to deeper connection and accountability. It becomes a tool for sustained resistance and a source of power for collective liberation.

Remember: Your joy fuels change when it's grounded in purpose. Together, we'll keep choosing to thrive, fight, and hope—not because it's easy but because it's necessary and transformative. When we choose conscious joy in times of darkness—joy that's earned through facing reality and doing the work—we're not just surviving. We're revolutionaries creating the world we know is possible.

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Dani Frank is a therapeutic yoga teacher and career coach dedicated to making wellness accessible and revolutionary. Through Sole Journey Wellness, she helps individuals find their authentic path in both professional life and personal growth.