4 easy ways to find joy every day and feel alive

It all started with a sticker.

"Go for a walk" - that's what was written on it. This serious instruction hung in a conspicuous place above the desk of the writer Katherine May. In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic bestseller "Winter will not last forever" was going through hard times. She was bored, she experienced anxiety and emotional burnout. Her usual ritual walks - dropped, as did other activities that brought her pleasure: collecting pebbles on the beach and swimming in the sea. “Nothing else aroused my interest in this world. I felt that my head was both full of thoughts and empty,” said Catherine May in an interview with The New York Times.

In her new book, Enchantment, she explains how simple actions like writing the same phrase on the sticker, helped her discover the little things that filled her with surprise and in awe. And made me feel alive again. Here's what Mei recommends doing to feel the same way.

1. Notice the world around you

May writes: “We need to find in ourselves humilityto open up to new experiences every day and allow yourself to learn something.” And she admits that it's not easy.

Forget thinking that this is stupid and pointless, that you are too busy, and this is a waste of time. Allow yourself first of all to seek contact with something sacramental and communicate with something more than your personality.

Experiencing a state of surprise is akin to using a muscle. The more often you set yourself up for such way of thinking, the easier it will be for you to apply it over time.

First you need to succumb to the charm of everyday moments. Mei, for example, is truly happy when she sees how the reflections of light play on a cup of morning coffee. Just do not create such moments artificially. Look for things that excite you and trust that they will appear at the most unexpected moment. It can be any little thing, even a ladybug that has flown through an open window.

We tell ourselves that impressive events must necessarily be grandiose. In fact, you can just exhale and live a life that is not grandiose at all.

2. Ask yourself a simple question

If you find it difficult to imagine things that can fascinate you, think about what you soothes. Maybe it's a walk. Or going to a museum. Or watching clouds move.

Whatever the activity, find a way to make time for it every day. Mei herself goes outside every morning and literally sniffs the air, paying attention to the color of the sky and the sensations that a breath of wind gives her skin.

Someone can find solace by visiting a temple, and someone by looking at the moon and stars. Any simple and easy activity that makes you happier will do.

3. Make up your own rules

When Mei was studying meditate, she tried to do this twice a day for 20 minutes, but not before or after sleep and never after meals. And then she had children, and it became more difficult to find the right time for meditation. The problem wasn't that she wasn't putting in enough effort. It's just that the rules weren't made for her. They were created by someone who had never been in her place.

Now she meditates differently. Sometimes it's 5 minutes in the middle of the night, sometimes it's during a walk in the woods. According to Mei, meditation was never the way for her. free the mind - on the contrary, it was an opportunity to slowly sort out all the thoughts swarming in my head.

If you want to spend more time contemplating your inner world and personal reflections, don't worry about doing it "right", come up with your own way.

4. Do nice things just for the sake of it

We tend to think that seeking pleasure for the sake of pleasure is somehow naive. Or, in other words, more often we attach value to things that are considered practical and effective. But you don't need a reason to do what makes you happy.

For example, one of Catherine May's hobbies is swimming in cold water. She doesn't do it to burn calories. She just loves being in an incredible body of water. She enjoys how sensual it is and how many "hormones of happiness" her body receives. The sheer enjoyment of the process itself transcends any practical aspirations.