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Many of us assume that we need to make drastic changes to our habits, routines, and/or bank balances to be happy and enjoy life. Fortunately, that’s not the case.
Often, we already have everything we need to enjoy life—it’s just a question of prioritizing what’s important.
So, how can you enjoy life in a way most people don’t? Here are 25 simple ways you can enjoy your life more, starting today.
1. Focus on Yourself
Other people will always be on hand to offer up their opinions and advice. Ultimately, however, it’s you who has to live with the consequences of your decisions.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed with outsider opinions and advice, go off the grid for a few days. Get off social media, put your phone on silent, and tap into your thoughts and emotions to figure out what your next step should be.
2. Make Time to Relax
Making time to relax and reconnect with ourselves leaves us better equipped to deal with more challenging periods in life. Instead of only finding time to relax when you’re extra stressed, to enjoy life, you need to be making time for rest daily [1].
Relaxing can involve doing a favorite hobby, taking a short nap, going for a walk, or even taking a quick weekend trip. Find what works to get your stress levels down and do it.
3. Avoid the News
It’s all too easy to get sucked into public drama, online and offline. Trust that if something important happens, you’ll know about it. Otherwise, save your energy and spend your time on something more worthwhile than room scrolling.
4. Nurture Your Positive Relationships
Make time to nurture the positive relationships you have with friends and family. Identify the people who lift you and focus your energy on them.
Cultivating positive relationships in life has been proven to increase overall well-being. One study even found that “found that people who have good social relationships are half less likely to die early than are more isolated people”[2]
5. Meet New People
Community is one of the most important needs we have. Making a consistent effort to meet new people helps us fulfill that need and introduces us to new ideas and perspectives.
Expanding your support system will also insure that you have more resources to get through tough times and enjoy life.
6. Explore New Places
New places and cultures offer a different perspective on the world and add a healthy dose of inspiration and possibility to our lives. You don’t need a huge bank balance, however, to explore. Walk through a new part of town, watch a documentary, or go camping in a nearby national park. It doesn’t have to be far to offer you a great experience.
7. Keep a Wish List
Whenever you think of something you’d like to try or a place you’d like to visit, write it down and keep a collection. It keeps the dream alive and stops it from fizzling out as a forgotten thought.
8. Try New Things
Commit to trying a certain number of items from your wish list each year to make sure they don’t just stay as wishes. This will keep you engaged with the world around you instead of allowing you to sit back and watch it all fly by.
9. Spend Money on Experiences, Not Possessions
It’s experienced, not possessions, that create memories and meaning. Instead of buying that diamond necklace, you’ve got your eye on, why not spend that money on a weekend getaway with your spouse? Objects won’t help you make memories, but experiences will, and those are things that allow you to enjoy life like no one else.
10. Cut Down Your Junk
Physical clutter equals mental clutter. Reducing the amount of stuff around us fosters a calmer mental state, too. By tidying up around the house, you can increase your focus, productivity, and positive emotions.
11. Make Time for Gratitude
Creating a routine of writing down three things you feel grateful for each day helps you focus more on what’s good in your life. Starting a gratitude journal can help, too. By focusing on gratitude, we place ourselves at the moment and can see just how much good we’ve got going for us[3].
12. Track How You’re Spending Your Time
It’s easy to get to the end of a day and wonder where all the time went, so track how you spend your time in an average week. When we’re conscious of how we’re spending our hours, we can make the most of the time we have on this planet.
13. Be Deliberate in Your Choices
We’ve never had so many opportunities to create a lifestyle that we truly love, yet many of us still live life on autopilot. Be deliberate in your life choices: remember that it’s your life and no one else’s.
14. Invest in Yourself
The more self-aware and self-accepting we are, the happier we are. Make time to read personal development books, journal, and focus on being compassionate towards yourself.
15. Remember That All Feelings Pass
A key part of enjoying life is accepting that we’re not going to feel 100% happy 100% of the time. During the more challenging times, remember that life is one big cycle of ups and downs, and remember that all feelings pass.
16. Celebrate Small Wins
In a goal-obsessed society, it’s easy to bounce from one milestone to the next without savoring our successes. Make time to celebrate your wins—no matter how small, and focus on enjoying the journey rather than the destination.
17. Allow Yourself to Feel Happy
Many of us find it challenging to enjoy a calm, “normal” life. Give yourself permission to enjoy a drama-free existence and focus on finding pleasure in your daily experiences.
18. Practice Mindfulness
Noticing how we feel and what’s around us right now is an effective way of getting out of our heads, detaching from our worries, and returning to the experience of what it’s truly like to be alive, which is key when we want to enjoy life as much as possible.
19. Get Outside
Feel the wind on your face, the sun on your skin, and enjoy a good dose of Vitamin D and fresh air. Science has found that being out in nature reduces stress and increases overall well-being.
One study found that walking in nature, compared to simply looking at nature, reduced cortisol (stress hormone) levels and improved mood in a sample of healthy university students[4].
20. Speak Your Mind
When we hold back our thoughts, opinions, and desires out of fear of displeasing others, we’re not being true to ourselves. Speak up and feel uncomfortable in the short term and you’ll enjoy life more in the long term.
21. Record Happy Moments
Take photos, journal, draw—whatever you need to do to record happy moments and memories. This way, when you’re feeling down, you’ll have something to look back on to lift your spirits and help you enjoy life.
22. Get Active
Exercise releases endorphins, which are natural pain-relieving and stress-busting chemicals. Even if you’re short on time, a 20-minute walk or a few jumping jacks can do wonders for your mood.
23. Keep Learning
Find enjoyment through a sense of purpose, and make time to explore subjects that interest you. After all, you never know where your interest might lead!
24. Practice Compassion
When we can feel compassion for ourselves and compassion for others, even difficult situations become rewarding and, ultimately, more enjoyable.
25. Give Back
Spending time on activities that make a difference to others, through pursuits like volunteering, helps instill a sense of meaning and purpose in our lives. Even though some of the activities might not be that enjoyable or exciting, the simple act of giving back is a reward in itself.
| [1] | ^ | MindZone: 8 WAYS TO RELAX YOUR MIND AND CALM DOWN |
| [2] | ^ | Digital Journal: Study: Lack of friends is like smoking 15 cigs a day health-wise |
| [3] | ^ | Art as Therapy: The Power Of Gratitude And 3 Creative Ways To Practice It |
| [4] | ^ | Environment and Behavior: Health Benefits of Walking in Nature: A Randomized Controlled Study Under Conditions of Real-Life Stress |
