Politics, especially during election years, can give anyone a kale-sized anxiety load. Balancing anxiety with joy may sound like a recipe straight from a new-age cookbook, but don't break out your eye-rolls just yet. This is not about ploying you into a political cult or forcing you to join the happy-face brigade. This is about presenting the often overlooked, but readily available antidote to chronic stress: joy.

Although scientists have generally been preoccupied with the scale of our miseries and anxieties, a shift in focus towards the effects of joy on our health is occuring. According to Stephanie Harrison, positive psychology scholar and author of 'New Happy,' joy is much more than the giddy brother of happiness. It's the positive force that can catapult us out of negativity, fuel our motivation and help us chase down our running-on-the-beach-with-a-popsicle kind of goals.

With stress having a field day inside our bodies - stirring up adrenaline and cortisol, giving our organs a run for their life - joy can be the chill pill we all need. It helps regulate the body's in-built 'run or fight' response to stress that can put our adrenal glands through an unnecessary workout.

Feel like joy is as rare as finding a sugar-free doughnut at a bake sale? The key, according to psychiatrist Dr. Patrice Harris, is to relish the small moments. Don't put joy on a pedestal. Find it in the everyday occurrences - from a summer drizzle nourishing your veggie garden to a goofy cat meme on Instagram.

Those who practice savoring little puffs of joy throughout their day, even just for a handful of minutes, report feeling significantly happier, according to research from BIG JOY Project. These joy-boosting exercises can be as simple as basking in an awe-inducing video of a gorgeous landscape or acknowledging the ways in which your personal values enhance your life.

Joy is also a social creature. Connecting with others and taking action - whether it involves voting or advocating for causes close to your heart - can lead to a joy surge.

While we're on the topic of joy, let's not confuse it with a forced state of eternal happiness, or what some like to call 'toxic positivity.' Authentic joy doesn't always come with jazz hands. It acknowledges the bad hair days and says, 'It's okay to feel not okay.'

One of the most potent sources of joy? Sharing it. Lending a hand or simply being kind can trigger feelings of joy strong enough to offset anxiety and depression. This isn't hocus-pocus, folks, but science. Studies have proven that performing random acts of kindness can lead to a decrease in negative feelings and a longer-lasting surge of positivity compared to other activities.

So, by all means, eat your kale. It's good for you. But don't forget to let some joy into your life. It's equally nutritious, leaves no bitter aftertaste, and guess what - it's free.