When daily life becomes routine, it’s often difficult to get excited about things. Here are ways to help you find a little more joy in the ordinary.
Best-selling author Katherine May has opened up about her hardships during the pandemic. Boredom and burnout had overshadowed the things and activities that she used to find pleasure in.
“There was nothing that made the world feel interesting to me,” the author said in an interview with The New York Times.
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Her latest book, Enchantment, talks about discovering the things that make us marvel at life, small moments that allow us to just enjoy being alive.
Here are her tips on finding the joys in our daily lives.
Notice the world around you
The first step to finding that joy is to awaken your sense of wonder. Letting ourselves go past our usual thoughts allows us to appreciate the world around us.
May talked about “giving in to the fascination” when experiencing everyday moments. You can notice these moments more by engaging your senses.
For example, seeing the way the light filters through leaves or feeling the warmth coming from your cup of coffee.
“We’ve told ourselves that everything needs to be so big,” she said. “Actually, we can just breathe out and live quite small lives.”
Ask yourself about what soothes you
If finding the enchantment in life is too difficult at first, you can start by thinking about what soothes you.
It could be activities like going on a walk or playing with your pets. It could be a place like an art museum or your favorite cafe.
Whatever it is, try your best to do it. Seek out these moments and make it a habit to just enjoy the time you’re spending.
Contemplate in your own way
Personal reflection is just that. It’s personal. There is no one way to go about it.
If the usual instructions about meditation don’t appeal to you, discover your own way of practicing contemplation.
You can set up your own time. It could be right before you sleep or when you wake up. It could be in the middle of the day, on your lunch break.
You don’t have to give up on it, you just have to find what works best for you.
Do it just because it feels good
Many of us are driven to go through our lives only doing things that are productive or significant. But finding joy doesn’t need to have a higher meaning.
You can take classes for the sake of learning something new, not just for practical use. Have conversations about topics you enjoy, without having to add to some greater discourse.
You don’t need a reason to start doing something that makes you happy.
Banner image via Pexels by Andre Furtado.
