Sometimes our life seems to be running on autopilot. Most days, we wake up, drink our caffeine drink of choice, go to work, find some entertainment on TV or social media, go to bed, and do it all over again the next day. Days become weeks, and weeks become years. We say things like: I don’t have the time, I’m so busy, or time flies. I had caught myself looking back at a memory, thinking it happened last month when it was a year ago. One year is only sliced into 52 weeks, and thus a year is a shorter period than we realize. It’s easy to get busy and disconnected from our happiness. How can we disrupt the habitual and develop a more meaningful life? Pausing to notice our daily habits can be an insightful experiment. The journey begins with becoming aware of what brings you joy and what doesn’t. Then, you can make adjustments to design your life. Use mindfulness in your daily busy-ness.
How can we find the time for joy? Here are three steps to incorporating joy into your daily life.
Before we can make changes in our lives, we first have to notice the habits we currently follow. Start to notice the first thing you do when you wake up. Do you grab your phone and start reading emails? What effect does that routine have on your mood? During your day, notice your reactions. When you have an adverse response, ask yourself: Why do I feel this way? Am I carrying conditioned thoughts and ideas from my family or surroundings? Do you tend to multitask and get easily distracted? Start to make a note of what you notice without judgment. Reflect on your day! The second step is to identify what brings you joy. For instance, it could be music, traveling, dancing, creating or building something, laughing, reading, taking your shoes off after a long day. Basically, it can be anything. Make a joy list. The last step is incorporating things from your joy list into your daily life. Start to build your rituals. Start small with subtle changes, and why not get creative? For example:
- Create a playlist with your favorite songs and listen to it when you finish working. This can be helpful for people working from home because it can create a separation of work and personal time. Not having a commute can make this transition harder. Having a ritual to transition out of work mode can increase work-life balance.
- Incorporate food or flavors that remind you of your travels or places you want to visit. This can be as simple as adding spice to your coffee or meal. Wake up your taste buds with a new flavor.
- Dance in the morning while the coffee is brewing. If dancing brings you joy, don’t wait to go out or have a dancing partner. Moving your body can be a catalyst for change in routines. Not a fan of dancing? Do 10 push-ups, raise your arms up and down, or move in a way that gets your energy flowing.
These are just options. Spark joy into your life in your own way. Create rituals that make you smile. We have heard the word mindfulness a lot. What does it mean? It means to pause and take notice. What does it mean to you? Reflect. Create pauses, find the calm within you, and listen to your heart. Remember a time when you wanted what you currently have. Pay attention to your days, weeks, years. Start to become aware of the choices you are not making. Just to recap: Observe, make a joy list, and add joy to your routine. Document your journey by journaling.
Living consciously where your habits support the life you want is entirely possible. Becoming aware will allow you to make adjustments to design your joyful life. Customize your life experience with small rituals, strive to live the life you designed, and escape the autopilot.
