I just got back from a vacation in Mexico. The weather wasn’t ideal, it was windy, cloudy, and rainy, but that didn’t stop me from jumping in the pool and floating down the lazy river with a Miami Vice cocktail.
You know how when you first get into the water to swim it’s cold, but you eventually no longer notice? You get used to it. The same thing happens in our day-to-day life. It’s called habituation. The neurons in our brains stop responding to things that don’t change.
This is a good thing when we’re experiencing negative emotions such as grief. The feelings lessen over time. But when it comes to positive things, we enjoy them less as we get used to them.
When we experience something new, it stimulates the release of dopamine which creates feelings of pleasure. It improves our mood, allows us to focus, and gets us motivated.
This creates a feedback loop that pushes us to seek out more novelty so that we continue to feel happy.
And it’s so easy to do. If you like to walk, change your route. Even walking it in the opposite direction you usually do can get you started. Visit a new coffee shop or try a new beverage at your regular place.
Mid-level ideas include rearranging your furniture or moving the art around so that you see it again. Listen to a different radio station and expose yourself to either a new genre of music or something more contemporary than the same songs you’ve been listening to for the last thirty years.
And if you want to go big, plan a vacation to somewhere you’ve never been before. Or try a new mode of transportation like taking a train across the country or booking a river cruise. You can volunteer for a worthy cause and meet new people. Sign up for a class. Go to the opera. You get the idea.
Do something new. Watch how it changes your mood and makes you a happier you.
