Sometimes, you have a hard time enjoying yourself when you are intent on something that doesn't bring you any kind of pleasure. Fortunately, your life can be a lot more interesting if you change your point of view. With a few strategies, you can learn to have fun doing just about anything.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Making Joy a Priority
Step 1. Play
People often believe that life has to be serious and full of work and family commitments. However, it is as important to have fun as an adult as much as it is as a child. Adults play to learn and broaden their horizons, question themselves, have fun and escape by doing pleasant things. You can't expect the fun to come from you. You need to include something fun in your daily and / or weekly agenda that gives you pleasure.
For example, to make your life more enjoyable, you could choose an art hobby, spend more time with the kids, or invite your friends to play or see a movie a few times a week
Step 2. Look on the bright side
You can learn to have fun almost always by finding a positive note in everything you do. Even the most grueling tasks offer you something useful. Just look on the bright side and accept them.
- Get used to seeing the glass half full every day by doing the following exercise. Set aside 10 minutes a day for 3 weeks. Start by listing 5 things you enjoy about your life (for example, "watching the sun rise in the morning" or "hearing your partner laughing"). Then think about the times when things didn't go right. Describe the situation. So, find three ways that allow you to see your difficulties from a better perspective.
- For example, suppose your car breaks down on your way to work. You feel dejected and have no patience to wait for the mechanic. However, this wait gives you a chance to read the poem your best friend asked you to review. You also have a few minutes to call and see how your mother is doing. Finally, you have the opportunity to collect your thoughts before you take on a new day at work. By noticing the positives, you will discover the good even in the most adverse situations.
Step 3. Always celebrate
Your life is probably not that fun because you don't know how to rejoice in the smallest wonders and successes. Have you achieved a good result lately? Celebrate. Has a friend of yours just got a new job or has he managed to shed those unwanted pounds? Celebrate. Look for a way to enjoy life's little wins.
Get a calendar in which to write down the strangest holidays and try to celebrate as many as you can
Step 4. Refresh your surroundings
Whether it's at work, school or home, bring some joy to the places you live. Paint the walls in your office or bedroom with bright colors that make you happy. Get some plants to care for. Let the lighting, fabrics, colors and other elements of the furniture, such as books, give you a good mood.
- The colors to choose to beautify an environment can positively affect mood and outlook on life. One study showed that people feel less stressed in a green room than those who spend time in a red room.
- Generally, people feel happier when they are surrounded by yellow and green. If you think it is exaggerated to use these colors on the walls, choose a painting, a piece of furniture or even some flowers that contain these spring shades. You can also get some fun items, such as slinkies or stress-relieving balls, to lift the mood in the home.
Part 2 of 3: Finding Pleasure in Small Things
Step 1. Accompany what you do with pleasant sounds
Sounds greatly affect the pleasure you may feel while engaged in some business, whatever it is. For example, suppose you need to clean your bedroom or kitchen. House cleaning is a big hassle, but if you listen to your favorite songs, they will become lighter and more fun.
- Find the sounds that make you feel happy or relaxed: music, children's laughter, the roar of the sea waves, the chirping of birds in the trees. Your goal is to surround yourself with these noises. If you can't hear them live, listen to them using YouTube.
- Look for sounds that make you feel frustrated, sad, or angry, such as car horns or phone rings. Try to avoid them as much as possible. If you can't, contrast them with more pleasant sounds, such as listening to a relaxing song with earphones to cover the incessant ringing of the phone. Alternatively, if you don't usually have a moment of peace, a little silence can help you appreciate what you are doing.
Step 2. Enjoy physical contact
People need warmth and human contact as a show of affection. In the digital age, physical contact has become an even more important element for one's well-being, as it increases safety, gives serenity, strengthens trust in others, tightens group bonds and reduces the risk of getting sick.
Engage in some activity and surround yourself with people who convey joy to you through their contact. This way you will feel more gratified in many aspects of your life
Step 3. Taste the dishes you love
Eating can also be enjoyable when you do it consciously. Many people associate food with guilt. You probably think it's best to forgo the chocolate cake when there's an office party or butter popcorn when you're at the cinema. However, if you eat consciously rather than without thinking, you can enjoy your favorite dishes without feeling guilty.
- To eat consciously, choose a food, such as a piece of chocolate or some fruit. Observe it in shape, smell, size and texture. What is your reaction to watching it (i.e., do you make saliva, are you eager to taste it, etc.)? Put it in your mouth for 30 seconds without chewing, then start munching on it. Next, compare the taste sensation and texture of the food before and after its consumption. Finally, compare this experience to all the other times you normally eat something.
- Start eating mindfully every time you sit down at the table. Eliminate distractions, like TV or books, and focus totally on food.
Step 4. Smile
If you've been pretty stressed lately, maybe you should paint yourself a nice smile to counteract the side effects of stress. Research conducted at the "Greater Good Project2 in Berkeley shows that smiling (even pretending) benefits physical health. It allows the heart to recover from more stressful experiences sooner."
To regain your good mood and physical well-being, smile when you have to accomplish something you don't particularly like. You will feel better
Part 3 of 3: Change Your Point of View
Step 1. Spend a day as if you were a tourist
When we live in a place for months or years, we stop seeing it in an extraordinary or exciting way. Fuel your interest in where you live by being a tourist for a day.
Visit museums, parks and art galleries in your area. Take some photos and try to see these places with a tourist's eye. Try a restaurant you've never been to or order a different dish at your favorite restaurant. Live your life from a stranger's point of view - you may rediscover the most beautiful things
Step 2. Meditate
Probably, when you think about meditation, you see it more as a job than a game. While it requires calm and concentration, it can be a fun activity. In fact, it allows you to connect the deepest part of your self with the external environment, making you more aware of all the funniest aspects that characterize it.
To make this practice more fun, find a partner who is willing to meditate in your company. If you change the environment, it will be even more stimulating and exciting. You can also find some guided meditations with interesting music and instructions
Step 3. Silence the negative inner voice
If the little voice inside your head is constantly complaining or criticizing all the time, you will have a hard time enjoying life. Defeat it by preparing yourself in a more positive way towards your daily life. To stop it, follow this four-step path.
- Pay more attention to your thoughts.
- Decide if they are useful or useless (that is, do they make the situation better or worse?).
- Smother negative thoughts in the bud. Don't follow them and don't feed them.
- Replace negative thoughts with more positive ones. For example: "I will never have time to be with my friends because I have to study" you can positively rephrase it like this: "If I study hard and avoid postponing what I have to complete, I will be able to take a break halfway through and go out. with my friends".
Step 4. Cultivate your gratitude
Gratitude can allow you to appreciate what you have to do instead of seeing it as something unrewarding. There are many ways to show your gratitude, such as thanking people and starting a gratitude journal. However, one of the most effective ways to see things from a better perspective is to change the way you speak.
