Our every day lives can get very stressful even when we try our best to avoid it. Long meetings, approaching deadlines, children getting ill, misunderstanding with our loved ones – these things just happen. As a result, we can forget how lucky we are to have a loving partner or a job that enables us to fulfil ourselves. We often forget to enjoy the little things in life. Below we give you a few tips how to start living more fully every day.
1: Break your routine
Having a routine allows us completing tasks without having to think anew every day about how to do them. Sticking to a routine speeds things up and makes us more effective, as it prevents us from overthinking. However, by not thinking about what we’re doing, we do not let ourselves think or feel positive things, either. Furthermore, by following a routine mindlessly, our brains get comfortable when they are not confronted with anything new.
The next time you sit in a meeting, don’t just go to your usual chair. Pick a different one, preferably on the other side of the room. By breaking our habits and ‘surprising’ ourselves, we force our brains to create new neural connections. Constantly giving our brain something new helps prevent aging of the brain and diseases like dementia.
You probably take the same route to work every day. By now you know the way so well that you don’t have to pay attention to where you’re walking or driving; you mindlessly turn right when you are supposed to. What a shame! The next time you take a familiar road, pay attention to the buildings or landscape around you – there is probably a lot of beauty on which you are missing out! If you live in a city or a town, look up when you pass through the city centre, especially in narrow streets where you cannot see the buildings from afar. You will be surprised to see your town in a new light!
Do you often find yourself eating your lunch while reading something on your computer? Do you eat dinner in front the TV? Not only is this unhealthy and can lead to overeating and weight gain, since you are not paying attention to your body’s signals as for whether you might be already full, but you are also missing out on a true experience. The next time you are about to eat something you really like, do a small exercise. It can be your favourite meal or just a piece of chocolate. Turn all screens off, sit down, and take your time. Have a good look at what you are about to eat. Before you take the first bite, place it in front of your nose and observe what it smells like. Then, slowly place it on your tongue and pay attention to its texture, size, and taste. Don’t just chew and swallow mindlessly; take the decision to do these things. After you swallow, take a while to observe the aftertaste.
How did the exercise feel? Strange? Too slow? Unnatural? Or did it, on the contrary, reveal the true taste of your favourite chocolate bar? Of course, nobody has the time to eat like this during every meal and to do so is not the idea. However, this little exercise can work as a reminder that food can be so much more than just mindless chewing and swallowing which keeps our mouths busy and our stomachs full.
Coffee breaks are great – they enable us to get some caffeine into our bodies. They can also be important moments of socializing. These can be either pleasant and relaxing or, on the contrary, stressful or forced. The next time you are on a coffee break, be it at your workplace or in the nearest Starbucks, don’t just grab a coffee to go. Don’t force yourself to follow a conversation you are not interested in, either. Instead, take a moment for yourself and focus on your coffee. In many parts of the Mediterranean, in the Middle East, and in many other places around the world, drinking coffee is a social ritual, rather than the response to a physical need. Traditionally, coffee has been drunk for its aroma and rich flavour, and not as much for its caffeine. So the next time you have a coffee, take a proper break and pay attention to its colour, aroma, flavour, density, and texture. You’ll note that you’ll feel more energized than usually.
Feeling a bit down? No motivation? Cannot come up with a solution? Take a look around – are you alone? Great! Put on your favourite song or the latest disco hit and dance like nobody’s watching – nobody is! Your mood will get immediately better!
Scientist found that merely shaping our lips into a smile releases happiness hormones. So if you want to feel happier every day, you can consciously cause that change. You can smile at yourself in the mirror every morning when you brush your teeth to kick off your day or grin at your screen at work when you need some positive vibes. Your mood will thank you!
This can sound daunting if you have never tried meditation before. However, meditation can be very simple and as short as 30 seconds. It is scientifically proven that meditation can make us more balanced, happy, confident, and less stressed. What more, if you practice every day, your brain will start changing and you will become more in control of your life.
That’s definitely something worth a couple of minutes of your day! And how do you go about it? You can start by focusing on your breath. Try to let everything go and just follow your inhales and exhales. If you have too many thoughts swirling around, you can focus on them instead – try not to engage with them, just acknowledge that they are there. You might find out that when you are watching out for them, all of a sudden, there are no thoughts at all. In that case, you can congratulate yourself and enjoy the calmness!
Finally, this little exercise should point to what should be obvious but is often left ignored. Take two sheets of papers. On one, write down as many things you can think of that you do every day or on a regular basis. On the other, write all the things you enjoy doing. Compare these two. How many things did you write on both sheets?
If you think that you cannot afford to slow down and take the time to do these things, consider the amount of time you need once you finally have to take a real break or holiday. If you approach your daily life with a little more awareness of the beauty and joy that surrounds us, not only will you feel happier, but also more balanced. As a result, you will be more productive and surely, your friends and family will appreciate the difference, too.
What top tips do you have to enjoy everyday life? Do let us know at Kings Tutors.
Ivy Education, 126 New Kings Road, London SW6 4LZ
+44 (0)207 736 6977
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