Life's Simplest Pleasures
Posted by Veronica Dearsley on
Life's simple pleasures are actually a lot simpler than a glass of fizz or the smell of freshly baked bread, they can just be things that you do anyway that make you feel good. 
It's taken a long time, but I feel like I've finally got the hang of doing the tiny things that make me feel good. Turns out, for me, most of them are mundane domestic tasks, exercise, and putting my phone down to actually spend time with the children once in the while.
Everyone is different, and once we get overwhelmed with something, as humans, we tend to write things off - to use my examples - "oh I'm not a tidy person, the mess just doesn't bother me" or tutting at annoying people that dare to be out running on a Saturday morning because "UGH RUNNING IS THE WORST."
That's just how we convince ourselves that we don't need to make any effort to change anything. And that's fine, but adding in more stuff that actually, it turns out, does make us feel good, is GOOD. Because who doesn't want to feel good?
Some things that don't even feel good at the time make me feel like a motherfucking SUPER WIZARD when I've done them, so I always make sure I've got some of those on my list, when I need a pep up. For example, if I'm in a sucky mood and I just want to curl up on the sofa and stew in my own misery, I force myself to get that shit done (because at that point, I'm already in a mood, I might as well do something I don't even like doing) and then afterwards... voila, instantly feel like I'm on top of my life again. Even when the bathroom is literally the only thing I'm on top of.
Figuring out what those things might be for you is a big part of the battle, but the best way to start might be examining the things you resist the most. Who has a new thing that you are inexplicably annoyed about? Maybe ask yourself why and turn it around and see if actually you might like to try it.
Alternatively, just think about the things that make you feel bad, and do the opposite. Feeling bad because you’re always tired? Work some early nights into your routine every week. Fed up of being hungover on a Sunday morning? Cut out drinking on Saturdays. Miserable because you never *do* anything? Make some plans!
We are complex creatures really, but it’s not too difficult just to add in a couple of teeny, tiny, pick me ups each day, just to make life a little bit more pleasant.