Grateful Living

5 min read

How to Enjoy Life As It Is

What can we do to love and enjoy the life that we're living just as it is? Here are 6 ideas.

Illustration of a person walking merrily

It’s a great question, you know? How to enjoy life as it is?

Whenever I write, I think about the people who I could end up hurting if I’m not empathetic to the multitude of situations that they can possibly be in. (What is the importance of empathy?)

What if they’re going through a depressive episode? What if their anxiety is something that they can’t deal with most times?

What if they lost someone? What if they live in a toxic environment? What if they hate themselves? What if they don’t feel the will to live?

It’s quite tricky to offer positivity without invalidating someone’s state of mind. But, I still want to help. All of this makes me want to do this more and as best as I can because these are the people who need it most.

So, keeping in mind that you might not be going through a very great time and also that you might be, here I am, sharing my ideas on how to enjoy life as it is:

Find humor in little things
Humble yourself
Pause, and just breathe
What's one little thing that made you smile today?
Make time for what you love
Contribute to good

How to Enjoy Life

1. Find humor in little things

You might’ve come across people who seem to be mostly happy regardless of what they’re going through. Even when they’re sad, it’s not hard for them to laugh or be excited about something. Let’s get inspired by them.

I encourage embracing sadness but it shouldn’t stop you from embracing happiness and excitement too. We’re all funny beings living funny lives. What’s the harm in laughing over it?

This tendency makes it easier to go through tough days as well. Laugh at yourself, and lighten up when you have the capacity to do so. It’ll get easier.

Related: 6 Tips to Live a Simple Life

2. Humble yourself

As much as it is important to value your experience, it is also necessary to do two things:

Come to terms with the fact that we’re not alone
We’re a tiny part of an infinite universe

Everyone in this world goes through times when it gets hard for them. One of the most moving moments of my life are when I find someone’s description of their misery exactly like mine (thanks Taylor Swift!). It is so validating to know that it isn’t just me!

Additionally, I dive into Astronomy from time to time to tell myself, “Hey, there’s this whole universe out there, which has been for ages and will continue to be. All these gigantic planets, galaxies, satellites, stars, things you’ll never even see because you’re a little person on a planet with billions of others. It’s alright.”

And, somehow, this helps me calm down, and feel that it’s not that big of a problem, that it will get okay. It gives me patience.

3. Pause, and just breathe

Do you think that we move too fast in life? That we pass by moments without knowing? That we’re rarely in the moment that we’re in, unaware of the sounds, the air, how our body feels, if we’re thirsty, of all that’s around us?

I raise my hand in solid agreement. Even as I’m writing this, I’m pausing and looking around. I can hear birds, hear someone walking downstairs, and I realize I should drink water now. *break* I drank some.

As I did that, I also switched the lights on in the hall. It’s getting dark. I’ll ask my friends if they’d like to drink some tea after I write this. A dog just came to greet me. And, now I take a deep breath. I realize I hadn’t done it since the morning.

Yes, there are things to do, bills to pay, plans to make, but there’s also life to live when we’re in it. So, now, take a pause. Take a deep breath. Look around. You’re right here.

4. What's one little thing that made you smile today?

Being grateful is a simple and easy thing to understand. Yeah, right, we should be grateful for what we have. We know that it’s going to make us feel better about life in every moment.

But, the weird thing about us is that we forget. We know what’s good for us, but still don’t do it. So, ask yourself, what’s one little thing that made you smile today?

Well, I just smiled watching a video my mother sent me of our dog, and before that, I smiled at my friend’s excitement for what we’ll make tomorrow. Come to think of it, there were so many things I laughed and smiled about.

Maybe it was a better day than most, but still, even one moment of gratitude for a true moment of joy is worth holding dear.

5. Make time for what you love

I was talking about the fast-paced life, right? When I was in school, I didn’t think I would ever need to make time for doing stuff I enjoyed. I just had that. But then, I grew up and I had a super busy schedule.

And even when I would have some time, the energy and motivation would be nil. So, I resorted to low-effort hobbies like, just listening to music in the evenings and watching a couple of episodes of The Office. Doesn’t sound like much but that’s what kept me connected to myself.

6. Contribute to good

I’ve heard from people who’ve gone to achieve great things in life that they tried everything but what made them feel contentment was service. It’s what gives our souls peace.

And, not only that, it’s what is needed the most in the world. So, think of the small and big ways that you can contribute to causes that you care about. I’m currently volunteering at an animal rescue out of my city.

And, you know what, I met a girl here who runs a rescue organization close to my home! I didn’t even know about it. We’re friends now and the first thing that I’ll do once I’m back home is visit her shelter. You know what they say... It's a small world.

And, that’s all I have to say. You know, I feel insecure sometimes about the simple advice that I give. I start to wonder if it’s actually going to help or not.

But, it’s the simplest things that are the easiest to forget and the ones that’ll work most effectively. So, I’m grateful that I can write for you and remind you of the little things that can make you love and enjoy your life just as it is.

👉 Continue reading:

3 Reasons Why You Should Love Yourself First

Team Gratitude

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