Finding Joy in the Mundane

By Lynn Cukaj, ATR-BC, MHC-LP www.CreativeExpressionsConsulting.com

Art Therapy for Children, Teenagers and Adults

When we picture the joys of life, we rarely think of laundry piles, dirty bathrooms, or scooping the cat box. These tasks feel routine, unglamorous, and—if we’re being honest—annoying. But they also offer something we often overlook: the chance to find joy in the everyday moments we usually rush past.

Shoveling the driveway, for example, was never a beloved activity in my household, yet it became one of those teachable moments. I used to tell my kids, “You need to learn to be good at things you don’t like, because so much of life includes exactly those things.” Yes, there are gadgets now to make chores easier, but at the end of the day, someone still has to empty the bag, scrub the pan, or haul the garbage to the curb.

Teaching Joy Through Chores

Out of all the parenting challenges—potty training, late-night homework, teaching them to drive—the hardest lesson was helping my kids understand that life will always include tasks you don’t enjoy. And if you can stop resisting that truth, you actually become happier. So we practiced with chores. Especially the ones they disliked most.

I wasn’t always consistent, but I was committed. After-dinner clean-up was our nightly negotiation: clearing the table, loading the dishwasher, Swiffering the floors. With five pets, our floors were never truly clean, so someone was always wiping up crumbs and pet hair. There was bargaining, swapping, and sighing—but the chores got done. And within those small, ordinary moments lived a bigger lesson: sometimes joy hides in the mundane, waiting to be noticed.

Joy, Mindfulness, and the Everyday

When clients tell me they “can’t find joy,” I always ask: “When was the last time you remember feeling happy?” Most describe vacations, sunsets, time with loved ones. Occasionally someone recalls something thrilling, like skydiving. But joy, more often, lives in the quiet spaces in between.

Happiness isn’t just the high points—it’s a continuum. And part of joy is learning to notice the calm plateaus.

So how do we find joy in the mundane?

Mindfulness is one way. Even something as ordinary as laundry can become a moment of presence—feeling the fabric, noticing the rhythm of folding, appreciating the completion of a simple task.

Parents know a different kind of laundry mindfulness: figuring out whether something in the basket is clean or dirty—often requiring the very scientific sniff test. I taught my kids laundry at age ten, mostly because I disliked doing it myself. As they got older, I passed along the chores I liked least, such as cleaning the bathroom. Interest or messiness were usually the prerequisites.

My favorite chore, though, has always been vacuuming. I love the sound, the push and pull, and the clean lines left behind—the play of light on the carpet fibers. It’s rhythmic, calming, and complete. Bathroom cleaning? Laundry sorting? Not quite as zen. Especially when you’re still puzzling over where all the missing socks go.

Creative Ways to Find Joy in the Mundane

1. Turn Chores Into Rituals: Add a small pleasure to a disliked task — a favorite playlist while folding laundry, a scented candle while tidying, a warm drink while paying bills. Rituals make routine feel intentional rather than burdensome.

2. Celebrate “Micro-Finishes”: Every time you complete a small task — wiping the counter, emptying the dishwasher, taking the trash out — pause and mentally acknowledge it. These tiny wins create momentum and a sense of ease.

3. Use Mundane Moments as Mental Rest: Not every moment has to be productive or meaningful. Let chores be the time your mind gets to wander, decompress, or daydream without pressure.

4. Look for the Sensory Details: The warmth of clothes out of the dryer, the shine of a freshly cleaned sink, the scent of a just-mopped floor, the sound of vacuum lines forming — these sensory anchors can turn ordinary tasks into grounding moments.

5. Pair Tasks With Gratitude: While doing a routine chore, tie it to gratitude.

• “I’m grateful we have running water.”

• “I’m grateful my kids are still here to make messes.”

• “I’m grateful for this home I get to care for.”Gratitude reframes drudgery as privilege.

6. Turn Chores Into Mini Movement: Treat little tasks as wellness moments: stretch when reaching high shelves, breathe deeply while sweeping, take a mindful pause when you finish. It’s a gentle way to care for your body without “exercise.”

7. Make It Social (Even Briefly): Try “parallel chores” with a partner or child — you clean the kitchen while they fold laundry. Or call a friend while doing mindless tasks. Connection makes the mundane feel lighter.

8. Create a 5-Minute Rule: Commit to doing just five minutes of the task you dread. The momentum often carries you forward, and if it doesn’t — five minutes still counts. There’s joy in honoring your own effort.

9. Let Tasks Mark Transitions: Chores can anchor the rhythm of the day:

• A tidy counter signals the evening unwind.

• A folded blanket marks the end of morning chaos.

• A wiped sink becomes a reset button. These tiny resets give life a quiet structure.

10. Assign Meaning to Repetition: Repeating tasks — sweeping, folding, rinsing, sorting — mimic the cycles of life. Recognizing that repetition is part of the human experience can make it feel comforting rather than chore-like.

To put some of these ideas into practice, I tried applying them to the task I dread most: laundry. I treated it like a small ritual—sorting big items first, then the tiny socks, breaking the job into manageable steps. I looked for the sensory details, focusing on the textures and colors as I worked, letting my mind settle instead of rush, giving myself a mental rest. That simple shift made the whole process feel calmer, almost grounding. And before I knew it, the basket was empty - ah! let's celebrate this micro-finish! I haven’t yet found the joy in putting everything away… but I remind myself that every ritual has its limits!

Finding Joy, One Chore at a Time

Finding joy in the mundane doesn’t mean loving every task. It means shifting how we meet them. Whether we’re shoveling snow, folding towels, or wiping down a counter, these small moments anchor us in our daily lives. They remind us that joy doesn’t need to be spectacular to be real.

It can be the quiet satisfaction of finishing something. The gratitude for having what we’re cleaning. The shared rhythm of working alongside someone we love.

That’s what I wanted my children to understand: life isn’t just shaped by the extraordinary moments. It’s shaped by the ordinary ones—and the care we bring to them. Joy often sneaks in while we’re busy doing the dishes.

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For more therapeutic activities and resources on how to incorporate Art Therapy into your life, read more from Lynn's Creative Expressions Blog.

Learn more about Art Therapy and Lynn Cukaj, Board Certified Art Therapist here: www.CreativeExpressionsConsulting.com