Everyone tells you to appreciate every moment in life, and live in the here and now. They tell you to practise mindfulness, meditate, and do more yoga. Individuals who are recovering from addiction can feel confused with the concept of mindfulness and savouring life’s little miracles. What if we told you we have created a list of ways to appreciate life every single day and even relish in a little enchantment? Keep in mind that finding enchantment is different for everyone, it is subjective. For some it is very simple, like living close to family, eating meals cooked from scratch, and spending time with pets. For others, it can be community-based, like volunteering or charity work. It may also be something related to making your environment better at work, like taking an actual break away from your computer and enjoying your cup of coffee outside instead of working through your coffee break. Finding enchantment in life, no matter what it is will bring in positivity, creativity, reduce anxiety and depression, and allow you to enjoy life again. Celebrate your personal journey to an enchanted life.
CONNECT WITH NATURE
We all call it Vitamin N: Being in nature can do wonders for finding the magic in life. Try to do something with your hands outside. Gardening is a great thing to try. So is going for nature walks, bird watching, or watching the sunset or sunrise. Put down your phone… don’t take a picture, just immerse yourself in the moment and watch the sun with your own eyes and not through your camera screen.
SPEND MORE TIME WITH CHILDREN
If you have children this is easy to do, if you don’t have children, spend time with your niece or nephew or a friend’s child. Watch and observe how children take in everyday life, play all the time, and find fun in everything they do. Try to live in the moment with them and engage with them, play some make-believe with them, hide and seek, trampolining even! You will definitely feel the magic in that.
MAKE YOUR HOME COZIER
Declutter your home and put some candles and some cozy blankets out. Create a free, open, and clean space so you can freely live, reflect, meditate, and journal because this can be hard to do if you have a cluttered or messy home. So take the time to clean and make your house your sanctuary so that you can enjoy the quiet, safe space to let your imagination soar.
UNPLUG FROM YOUR DEVICES
There is nothing magical about scrolling Instagram! It can be stressful and depressing to be on your screen all the time. Try to unplug for a good chunk of time every single day and for an entire day on the weekend. This is especially important if you work a lot on screens. Checking emails and messages about work can invoke stress, so set time every day to step away from screens and look forward to that time every day; make that promise to yourself.
PLAN A VACATION OR GETAWAY
Leaving your everyday life for a while and going to a different place will feel magical because you will be almost forced to live in the moment so that you can enjoy your trip! Even if you can’t go on an epic European trek, you can drive up the coast for the weekend or go to a different place for a few days and this will bring the wonder back into your life.
There are so many ways to bring magic and enchantment into your life, but you have to look around and think about what makes you truly happy and do more of that. It is so easy to get bogged down with negativity in life that we have to start appreciating how enchanting life really is. It is a miracle that we get to wake up every single day, look at the sun, breathe in fresh air, listen to the birds, or eat a great meal. We must be purposeful and intentional about noticing and appreciating what is around us. Once we do that, enchantment will fill our lives every single day!
Resources:
http://melodybeattie.com/touch-and-taste-your-life/
https://homespunseasonalliving.com/slow-down-enjoy-life/
https://www.pursuit-of-happiness.org/science-of-happiness/
https://www.bohemiantrails.com/how-to-find-magic-in-everyday-life/
https://thetattooedbuddha.com/2017/07/25/ditch-the-race-find-magic-in-everyday-life/