It happens to all of us. You find yourself wasting time away in the daily routines, waiting for your next big adventure. Class. Work. Sleep. Repeat. Again, and again, lost in the constant monotony. Until one day it hits you, you’re letting your life go by, just waiting for Friday, for summer, for graduation. It’s time you reclaimed your life, took joy in the little things, and here’s how:
Courtesy: Brooke Cagle
Fall in love with the Mundane
The most important part of finding your happiness is falling in love with the mundane. “If I knew how to do that, I wouldn’t be reading this,” you might find yourself saying. Don’t worry, it sounds a lot more overwhelming than it actually is. A couple of months ago I read this quote, and it totally changes my perspective:
You’ve got to start romanticizing your life. You got to believe your morning routine commute is cute and fun, that every cup of coffee is the best you ever had, that even the smallest and most mundane things are exciting and new. You have to because that’s when you truly start living, that’s when you look forward to every day.
How do you do this? There are different ways: for me, I like to pretend I’m a Youtuber or in my favorite Rom-Com. This might sound slightly insane, I know, but trust me it works. For instance, if you have a big test you need to study for, pretend you’re making an aesthetically pleasing study blog. Chances are you have already done this, most likely pretending to be a rockstar while belting off-key into a shampoo bottle. This helps to put the excitement back into routines.
Courtesy: Ana Juma
Gratitude Journal
The biggest part about romanticizing your life is having a mindset shift. One of the easiest ways to do this is through a Gratitude Journal. Keeping a journal may seem overwhelming, so feel free to adapt this concept. For instance, rather than keeping a journal, I write my happiest moment from each day in my planner. It can be as big as going to a concert with my friends to as small as reading a book with my twinkle lights on. Just make sure you’re getting specific, try to relive that moment, and find what truly made it so special. Then after about a month, go through your gratitude journal; is there something that keeps reoccurring? If so, how can you incorporate that more into your life? For instance, my three biggest themes were being with friends, coffee shops and spending time outdoors. So now when I need to study, I’ll invite a friend with me to the Lake Ella Black dog. I get to sit on the patio of my favorite coffee shop, watch the ducks waddle by, hang out with a friend and spice up, an otherwise mundane task.
Another way to practice gratitude is by noticing the small things around you. Often, when I’m walking to class, I’ll force myself to find little things that make me happy. Whether it’s a puppy on Landis, someone’s cute outfit or even the slight Nov. breeze, it’s not hard to find. Our brains are naturally programmed to notice the bad; a survival tactic that isn’t as useful as it used to be. By trying to reprogram our brains to notice more of the good, it will start to become natural and thus affect our overall mental state.
Courtesy: Daniel Lincoln
Find What Moves You
Think back to those Youtubers you were pretending to be, what is it about their life that seems so appealing? Make a list. Then compare it to your list of gratitude themes. What are small ways you can incorporate this into your life? This isn’t to say you should start obsessing over material things, but rather that if you can, treat yourself. This doesn’t always have to involve a monetary value, in fact sometimes it’s better if it doesn’t. In today’s fast-paced society, it’s easy to get caught up in everything we’re supposed to be doing that we can forget about what actually makes us happy.
True, some things are always going to suck, but allowing yourself to focus on your happiness, doesn’t make you selfish. So, try to incorporate small things into your life that just make you happy. And in case no one’s told you yet, you deserve to be happy.
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