5 Practices that Make Me Feel Profoundly Human
and very happy
This is the life…
That’s what my one brother would say anytime we found ourselves in an activity that exuded tranquility and calm.
Usually, it involved the beach or fishing, and it meant that everything was just right.
We all have those practices that just feel right. I think it’s because these moments get us out of our heads and we experience the world around us in a new way. It’s good to know what those are for you, because then you can plan on them.
“Happiness you can plan on is a beautiful thing.”
Here are 5 for me.
#1 Music
I love music. I love making it and listening to it. Some of the most profound experiences I’ve had were in concerts with my friends.
Pure emotion.
On another front, creating music is pure expression. There’s such emotion and feeling expressed in music, and freedom to make it however you want is incredible.
I recently found a violin, so my neighbors better watch out.
I especially like musical instruments that most people have never heard of before.
#2 Nature experiences
At times, nature kicks me in the pants, like when I spent the night on this mountain yesterday and nearly froze to death. Not to mention bears.
But waking up to this made it all worth it.
Maybe the reason this makes me feel profoundly human is because I realize how small I am and how much there is to be grateful for. Seriously, try watching that sunset and complaining at the same time.
It’s hard.
I tend to be a bit dissatisfied a lot of the time, which is why I push so hard. It’s not good, and something like this reminds me to stop.
I also randomly lie on the ground and watch the clouds. It’s very therapeutic and has a similar effect.
#3 Watching a movie
As I mentioned in this post, I love movies. Sounds weird coming from a productivity YouTuber, I know.
Here me out.
Movies are one of the best ways you can experience a huge range of emotions and experiences, without feeling inadequate. Maybe it’s just me, but if I finish an awesome movie, I ponder it for a while, and it makes me think.
But if I watch someone on social media doing something awesome, I immediately compare myself to them or their life. If I don’t measure up, I feel it. It’s not a pure experience by any means. Social media rarely is.
A movie you know is fake.
Social media is fake, but you think it’s real.
Bad combination.
A good movie (I’m very picky) is happiness I can plan on. It’s one of the closest ways I can get to walking in someone else’s shoes.
#4 Flow state
Fun fact about me: I love playing volleyball.
When I play competitively, it’s one of the most liberating things. I totally lose myself in the sport. As children, when we play, we are often in flow. That’s why an afternoon can fly by as a kid.
This is one of the closest ways I can consistently get back into that flow state and get lost in the process. I’m playing on a team, but mostly I’m playing against myself. I’m constantly learning and pushing myself to get better and better.
Sometimes I take it too seriously and need to rein it back in, but it’s worth it.
#5 Gardening
Maybe now isn’t a great time to say this… but I actually haven’t had a garden in years.
11 years to be specific.
As a kid, I hated it, but as an adult, I really want to do it again. Maybe I’m romanticizing it a bit, but still.
I just can’t think of a much better way to spend a cool morning than tinkering around in my garden, trying to coax plants up so I can eat them.
It can’t be rushed.
It’s grounding (no pun intended)
There’s a tangible return on investment (and healthy)
You may have picked up on this, but most of these have a few commonalities. They get me out of my head, slow me down, and they require minimal decisions.
I talked about decision fatigue in this post, but it’s worth revisiting briefly.
After all, what’s so great about slowing down?
Short answer? Slowing down reduces the number of decisions we have to make.
We are starving for energy because we have to make so many decisions each day. Slowing down gives our brains a chance to catch up and take a break from the exhausting practice of analyzing and deciding between details.
Think about these practices and how many decisions they require.
Music- minimal unless I’m learning a new instrument or piece. Mostly I just play whatever I feel like.
Nature experiences such as hiking- Again, almost nothing. Mountain. Hike. Stand in awe. That’s about it. Unless you get lost. Don’t do that.
Watching a movie- Literally none once you get started.
Flow- (Playing volleyball) Again, minimal. The decisions I make are subconscious in the game. It happens naturally.
Gardening- A few obvious ones like “should I pull this weed??… yeah.”
What kind of practices do you have?
I’m curious if they fall into a similar category of less conscious decisions needed.
Decision fatigue is a powerful thing.