You can lose your zest for life. Be it as a result of mental illness, setbacks in life or a gradual process. A lack of perspective, a separation, age, a pandemic, a stressful everyday life - all of these things can make you feel like you're no longer really able to enjoy things. And while it is important to explore feelings of loss and sadness you can also ask yourself whether it is possible to (re)learn to enjoy life and pleasure? You guessed it, the answer is quite clear - yes. You can find an exercise in the following blog article.
An exercise to promote enjoyment
The ability to enjoy is critically linked to the ability to notice things. So the first important step to bringing more enjoyment into your life is to develop an awareness of what you can notice with your senses. You are known to have 5 senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. You can do a little exercise on this for a few days: Think about the ways in which you can experience pleasure with each sense and write it down, e.g. as a review of the day in the evening. Try to find at least 2 examples for each sense. It could look like this:
Smell
The smell of a freshly opened coffee packet in the morning
The freshly washed laundry when I take it out of the washing machine
Sight
The colourful leaves on the trees on the way to work
A plane flying across the blue sky and leaving contrails behind reminds me of holidays and the wonderful feeling of anticipation on a plane
Taste
The soft hair of my children when I stroke their heads
The smooth wood of my worktable
Taste
Green tea with lemon in the morning
The first spoonful of spicy soup that brings tears to the eyes and clears the head and nose
Hear
The wind travelling through the fir trees, the rustling reminds me of the forest I grew up near
The reassuring gurgle of the coffee machine
Reflect
So think about what are sources of pleasure for me? Do I also encounter them in my everyday life? What feelings and thoughts do they trigger in me? You can also try out the examples listed here for yourself. For example, why do you feel pleasure when you touch certain things? What associations are awakened when you listen to music? What sensations do you feel when you eat a piece of dark chocolate? If you do the exercise for a few days, you may also notice that your attention is sharpened for things that were previously taken for granted or not unusual enough to focus on.
Further ideas for promoting zest for life
In addition to this sensory exercise, it is helpful to consciously strive for positive changes in your life. Self-care and mindfulness play a crucial role here. Consciously take time for yourself, cultivate social connections and venture into new experiences. Exercise, healthy eating and other mindfulness techniques such as meditation can help restore inner balance. Positive social interactions, whether with friends or family, not only strengthen your emotional well-being, but also help to promote joy in life. By consciously cultivating positive habits and actively seeking out moments of pleasure, you can gradually create a more fulfilling and joyful life.
Conclusion
This exercise can therefore help you to take the first step towards enjoyment. A path to more enjoyment of life can of course also be part of a counselling session with a psychologist. If you have lost your zest for life, you often need to actively set goals and solve problems, which may initially be too much for you on your own. If you would like to take a look at my offer, here is the link to it. Otherwise, I'm looking forward to hearing about your experiences. What did you notice? Did you discover anything that was new to you? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments if you dare 🙂 or send them to me via Email.