How Can You Feel More Alive?

We all have days that drag or feel blah. Sometimes life is hard, but we don’t have to languish. With the right tools, we can flourish and feel more alive.

I’ve been struggling some lately. Like you, the news of the world wears on me. I’ve had some health issues, but even with all that, I find joy and awe. I still find and do things that light me up. 

Do you have tools in your tool box for feeling more alive? 

Seek Beauty

I used to visit art museums regularly with my mother. As a research scientist, she was so busy, but she knew she needed regular doses of art and beauty. I got to go with her, and along with the beauty, I got connection time. It was like putting gas in the car. 

We are attuned to beauty, and seeking it out can help us feel more alive. In fact, experiencing beauty releases a lot of feel good chemicals, like dopamine, endorphins, and oxytocin. And more beauty in your life can help reduce stress and improve blood pressure. Not to mention, beauty can bring joy. 

Spend Time in Nature

We can find beauty in art, and we can also find it in nature. In nature, beauty is often paired with awe or wonder. Think majestic mountains, a field of wildflowers, a butterfly flitting across the sky. Nature and flourishing go hand in hand. 

You can find beauty in the natural world in a park or garden, out on a trail, on the beach or walking by a river. You can find beauty looking up at the night sky or in a yellow flower claiming space in a crack in the sidewalk. 

When you’re engaging with nature, bring all your senses to the experience. It helps you be fully and deeply in the moment, which helps us feel more present and alive.

Learn or Try Something New

I love to learn, and it turns out learning something new helps us feel more alive. If you’ve been with a 2-year-old asking “why” about everything, curiosity may feel a bit much, but there’s a reason for the question. We’re wired to know more about our world. 

And learning or trying something new adds novelty to our lives. Novelty can boost creativity, memory, and happiness. 

Learning can mean gaining information and understanding about a subject. It can also mean trying a new skill or activity. 

Try:

• Cooking a new recipe
• Taking a different class at the gym than the one you usually take
• Learning a craft you’ve always wanted to try 
• Reading a genre of book outside what you usually read
• Practicing a new language
• Visiting a museum or library or park you’ve never been to.

When’s the last time you geeked out on a subject that fascinates you or tried something you’ve never done before? When’s the last time you got out of your usual routine and visited a new place? Maybe it’s time. 

3 Other Ways to Feel More Alive

What else can you do to feel more alive? 

Connect with others. Loneliness and isolation decrease our feelings of flourishing. Connecting with others, feeling loved, laughing and doing things together helps our lives feel more vibrant and vital. 

Be creative. Like nature, creative acts can reduce stress and improve our mood. Creative acts don’t just mean drawing or painting — they can be any kind of creativity you engage in. Singing, arranging flowers, doing puzzles, playing with food, writing, collageing. We often get into a flow state when we create, which keeps us in this moment. 

Joyful movement. We all know that exercise is important for our health. What if that didn’t feel like a drag or a thing we have to do? What if you added more joyful movement to your day? Think about dancing to your favorite song or the carefree feeling of riding a bike, not for the miles you stack up but for the sheer joy of the movement. Maybe you love swimming or surfing or hiking or hula hooping. You get the physical and mood benefits of exercise — and a little more joy in your day. 

There’s no reason to slog through life. There are so many things we can do to boost our resilience, bring more joy to each day, and feel more alive. 

What will you do today?

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