Harriet Cabelly, LCSW
Therapist . Speaker . Author
We press the refresh button on our computer. How much more so do we humans need to refresh ourselves. We get stale and stuck and lose our joie de vivre, our zest for life. So, how do we add more vim and vigor to our daily lives and step into better days? How do we get out of our lethargy, our sense of sameness, our days that feel like they melt into one another while we’re simply chugging along? In short: How do we renew our life?
We can kick-start ourselves into having a bit more umph and pizzazz. Just try these four ways to hit that refresh button and renew your life:
Connecting to what’s important, what we care about, what is meaningful, is key to rejuvenating our life. Aligning with our values helps us create a meaningful existence.
If friendships are important, then prioritizing time for connection is wonderful. We will get off that zoom or phone call feeling replenished. If journaling your life through photographs is important to you, as it is to me, then making photo albums/books/scrapbooks takes on meaning and becomes a very worthwhile activity.
When we infuse our life with meaningful activities, we feel fuller and richer, an antidote to running on empty and burned out.
Changing things around a bit can make a big difference and give us a sense of freshness.
When I see clients in my office, I often suggest they sit in a different spot than usual. The reaction is usually, ‘Wow, I never noticed that painting,’ or “I never saw all those books before.’ A new vantage point gives us a new perspective.
Driving home a different route shows us we can break out of our routinized ways and try various other avenues. Eventually, we might attempt something totally new and different. And there’s nothing like getting out of one’s comfort zone to renew your life and see there’s a whole world out there waiting to be seen.
Adventure doesn’t need to be sky-diving — it can be doing a hoola hoop instead of the regular stomach crunches. Small doses of newness bring us large spoonfuls of revitalization.
When we are aware and conscious of ourselves and our surroundings, we begin to savor the everyday things. Paying attention takes on a new meaning and feeling.
Reveling in that hot shower pouring down on us adds pleasure (and appreciation) to our shower time. The idea of being awake to our present is the antithesis of being on auto-pilot. We become intentional about our activity. Being mindful while brushing our teeth and gums makes brushing a more meaningful activity as opposed to a chore. Noticing the colors while cutting fruits and vegetables creates a greater appreciation for the healthy food we’re putting into ourselves.
There’s a freshness and renewal to otherwise run-of-the mill doings.
Our world opens up when we are curious. You can’t be curious and bored at the same time. There’s always something to learn, explore, see, be interested in. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it keeps us alive and fresh to possibility.
If you aren’t by nature a curious person, it can be developed. Be open to learning about things that may interest you but that you don’t know much about. Have you read a good book that took place in a time period you knew little about? Go further and research that historical period. Become interested and you will become interesting. There is a real excitement that comes from being curious about learning and trying out new ideas and things.
Kids by nature are curious souls. They play, explore, discover and are drawn in by a vibrant sense of curiosity. They are inherent masters at wonderment and awe. We too, as adults, can have that. It behooves us to develop this trait that will bring back our enthusiasm, zest, and joie de vivre.
Incorporating these concepts into our daily life will contribute greatly to extricating ourselves from the routinized doldrums. We will regain a sense of excitement and appreciation for having the gift of life.
First appeared as a guest post on the How Life Works website.
