To start off the year right, it’s good to reflect on how we led our life the past year. But now that we get another year to live and enjoy life, we owe it to ourselves to make it better than the last.
Consider doing these to ‘enrich’ your life:
Being more mindful
Mindfulness is the act of being aware of ourselves and our surroundings. Being mindful allows us to control our emotions, stress, and composure. If the past year has been chaotic or difficult in any way, learning the concept of ‘mindfulness’ can help us find peace even in situations that may push us over the edge. It can improve concentration, memory, and how we perceive and handle things in our daily lives. It also helps improve our health by reducing the stress that affects us physically and improving the state of our mental health.
Related story: Give yourself a moment of mindfulness with these meditation apps
There are many ways to improve mindfulness such as doing activities like yoga, meditation, walking outside, or even just staying still. What’s important is taking time to internally examine one’s state and carefully take in our surroundings. At the very least, it’ll give you time to unwind but done right it could make you a calmer, more collected, and patient person.
Related story: 5 easy ways beginners can start practicing mindfulness
Writing
By writing fictional stories or daily journal entries, we could improve our vocabulary, grammar, and creativity. Your stories don’t need to be like those of grand epics or best-selling books. The short stories and ideas you picture in your head are enough to gradually build the foundations of a great skill everyone should have. Meanwhile, writing in journals can help you organize your thoughts and emotions. It can help you sort out any problems and difficult decisions you have to make. It helps us see the situation in a better light and come up with a good decision for you. Indeed, writing is a great skill to develop; it is useful in almost any endeavor you undertake.
Doing activities that require training
Learning activities that require effort and training, like dancing, combat, swimming, or any activity that makes your body move and ache, will always be worthwhile. Not only will it improve your physical health and give you amazing results to boast of at the beach or to your friends, but it can also give you the characteristics and habits necessary to help you achieve your goals in life. As you practice discipline, consistency, and perseverance, you will eventually develop a mindset that will push you through difficult situations.
Reading
Reading improves our comprehension, diction, and vocabulary. It can help us become more thoughtful and contemplative, and allows us to learn more about ourselves in the process. It’s a great way to learn something new, like cooking, science, or various entertainment stuff. It could even help you find new passions and interests. A good book can bring about realizations and epiphanies in life that may ignite a spark inside of you that you weren’t even aware you had. It could even help you get through the difficult situations by relating to other people’s stories or a character’s struggles. A great book can significantly change how you are as a person.
Doing Recreational hobbies
Now, not all things that enrich a person must be difficult and hard to grasp; allowing yourself to relax and unwind with a hobby that you love can benefit you tremendously. Maybe you’ve always wanted to try knitting, make jewelry, or learn how to paint like Van Gogh. Taking up a hobby that you’re passionate about or interested in can help you learn new skills, get you a new source of income, and help improve your mental capacity in unexpected ways. The satisfaction of accomplishing a goal with that hobby could be a reward in itself. All these for the small price of a little time spent having fun.
While we consider doing these things mentioned, we must also understand that living a ‘good life’ doesn’t have a concrete formula. You just got to do the things you enjoy – the things that make you feel you’re living the best life.
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