How to Put {more} Enjoyment Into Your Day
May 26th, 2013 By
Harriet |
We all have such hectic days trying to squeeze everything in, and then some. The common mantra is, “I don’t have enough time” or “I certainly don’t have any time for me.”
But we’re doing a tremendous disservice to ourselves by simply getting up in the morning and jumping on that turning wheel trying to chase around and play catch up the whole day, only to then go to sleep and start all over again.
We may not have a whole hour or block of time to devote to doing something pleasurable for ourselves. But we can surely find a few minutes here and there to incorporate some joyful moments. We can’t wait for those long time periods of free time. For our own well-being and feelings of positivity, those brief interludes go a long way to replenish ourselves and add that bit of necessary enjoyment to fill our daily buckets.
So…
- Wake up a little earlier than you have to and do something you enjoy- be it exercise, wrapping your hands around that mug of hot coffee and enjoying the silence, reading, meditating, listening to music.
- Pencil in a few minute break for youself during the day. Pretend it’s a meeting or appointment. Respect it and keep it as you would with anyone else.
- Be mindful of the nice things around you. When we notice the good and the beauty around us and bring it into ourselves, it feels good.
- Fix up a small area in your house with meaningful things. Look around at it and revel in your little haven.
- At bedtime, write down 3 things you’re grateful for. This will start to shift your focus to some of the positive things.
- Value yourself and know that you can be more giving, more nurturing and more productive when you feel good.
- Remember, a little bit goes a long way. So start reading a couple of pages of that book that’s been sitting there for weeks. As Voltaire says, “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”
- Focus on one thing each day and make the few minutes for it. It doesn’t just come to us, we create it.
- We make time for what’s important. Decide that doing something you enjoy each day is important to you and stick to that value. You are important and you are valuable. You will be that much better at all your other obligations when you take the time to smell and savor those fragrant lilacs.
Thanks for stopping by. What small pleasures do you add in to your day?
All great reminders Harriet. One thing I do is to write everyday. This helps me keep centered and balanced!
Hi Alex,
So nice to see you here. Writing is a wonderful way to bring in ‘centeredness’ and focus, which taps into that pleasure feeling.
One of my favorites, Harriet, is “When we notice the good and the beauty around us and bring it into ourselves, it feels good.” I will make a point of remembering this, especially, during a challenging day. I wish you a safe and joyful holiday weekend!
Hi Gail,
Glad you got a take-away from this. What we focus on is what we bring into ourselves; noticing the good begets more of it which increases our inner riches.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing.
I love this approach of small doses of enjoyment throughout the day! You won’t find me waking up early, but I’m keen on the rest!
Hi Sandra,
Small doses work well to keep us continually filled up. You find it and bring it in when it suits you, mornings excluded for you.
Thanks for coming by and sharing.
Important message here Harriet … duly shared
Be good to yourself
David
Life Coach. Listener. Solution Finder.
Hi David,
Great to see you again. Thanks for popping by and sharing.
Great advice. That practice of three things I’m grateful for at the end of the day has been a powerful practice in my life!
Hi Nurturedmama,
Thanks for stopping on by and commenting. I too do the 3 blessings exercise at the end of the day and have found it to be very powerful. Gratitude is known to increase well-being and those good inner emotions.
This is my first time reading your blog and I really enjoyed this post. We really do need to take time for ourselves. I already do a few of these things but there are a couple of more here that I think I may give a try.
Hi Mantha,
Welcome here. Glad you found your way here and like your first reading. We must fill our bucket so we have that much more of ourselves to give out. Hope you continue to bring joy into your life.
I just started the “writing down things I’m grateful for in the evening” a week ago … it’s really interesting how one can change the focus – and also what things come into mind.
Hi Daniela,
Glad to hear you’re noticing results already from the gratitude exercise. It is interesting to see what comes up for you; things you might never have otherwise given a second thought to. Keep going.
Hope to see you back here again.
Hi Harriet! Thanks for this awesome post! It dovetails nicely with a microcourse I am doing from Courtney Carver about Creating a Meaningful Morning Routine. I really struggle with that snooze button and not having a “job” to get to on time. So, I thought I would try this. I really like your idea of 3 things I am grateful for at night. I am going to start that….tonight!
Hi Paula,
Nice to ‘meet’ you here. That’s funny – and I’m taking a blogging course with Courtney. Glad you’re starting the gratitude exercise. Would love to hear how it goes for you.
I’m big on routines and rituals. Perhaps you can look at your morning routine as your own personal ‘job’- just for you. It sets the stage for your day.
Hope to ‘see’ you again. Best to you.
I’m taking that blogging course too Harriet! I first started in January this year and going at it again now with you all! It is an awesome class and I am so glad I found Courtney! My meaningful morning routine is going so well and I am happy with!