7 Tiny Daily Habits That Can Give Your Life More Purpose
Stay connected to yourself and others by living your values.
Michael Krahn / Unsplash Staying true to yourself and your ideals can be difficult, especially when you’re feeling overwhelmed by the more mundane day-to-day tasks, like keeping your house clean and catching up on bills.
Yet, taking time to reconnect with yourself is important for maintaining balanced mental health. Reminding yourself who you are and what’s important to you is an essential part of living a fulfilling life.
Here are 7 small daily habits to give your life more purpose:
1. Start a morning ritual
Getting your morning started with intention is a great way to set the tone for the rest of the day. This could mean sitting next to a window or going outside while you sip your morning coffee to get some vital, mood-boosting sunlight.
It could also mean doing some gentle stretching, cuddling your beloved pet, or writing a list of what you hope to accomplish.
Even if your routine is short and simple, you’re still setting yourself up to be the version of you that’s most in tune with your inner world.
2. Reach out to friends
Staying in touch with the people you love helps you stay connected to your community and yourself.
Sending out a quick text to tell your friend you’re thinking of them is a simple, accessible way to create a sense of connection. At our core, we’re social creatures. Keeping ourselves isolated can have detrimental effects on our health and mental well-being.
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It might make you feel vulnerable to reach out to someone, but taking that first step opens the door to conversation, something we all need to feel like our fullest selves.
3. Spend time in nature
There are many benefits to being in nature for both our physical and mental health. From taking a walk through a park to swimming in the summertime, moving our bodies in the great outdoors makes us feel happy and calm while increasing endorphins.
Connecting to the outside world helps us find balance and notice the small, beautiful things around us. Even if you live in a city, you can seek out green space to explore. Notice the sound of birds chirping, the smell of grass, and the patterns the sun makes as it filters through leaves.
Research has shown that our brain waves change after being outside, even for just a short period of time. Exposure to nature can increase your ability to focus and create a sense of inner calm.
Going outside is a grounding activity, literally and spiritually.
4. Journal
The idea of keeping a journal can feel daunting, but writing can be a really valuable mental and somatic process for letting go of pent-up emotions and figuring out what kind of life you want to lead.
You can keep a gratitude journal in which you write down a few things you’re grateful for each day. You can write as much or as little as you want. There are no set rules for journaling. What’s important is giving yourself space to be yourself, with no outside pressure or critique.
Writing out your hopes, dreams, fears, and even a list of what you did today can keep you connected to what’s most important to you.
5. Do grounding exercises
Staying in touch with our bodies throughout the day can be a challenge, especially if we’re feeling anxious or distracted.
While practicing meditation might feel inaccessible or daunting to commit to, there are other practices you can try to reconnect to yourself.
Taking deep breaths with your feet firmly planted on the floor is quite literally a way to ground yourself. Another way into mindfulness is to look around whatever room you’re in and take full account of what you see.
It’s important to pause and give yourself time to reflect, even briefly, to recenter.
6. Let yourself have fun
As we leave childhood and enter adulthood, we work more and play less. Yet having dedicated fun is actually hugely important. Doing activities just for fun keeps us open-minded while making us happy, both of which are key to feeling like our lives hold meaning.
Letting yourself color, play a game, or dance around is a great way to spend your time, as is doing nothing at all.
Giving yourself permission to zone out and daydream helps your mind decompress and keeps you aligned with your inner purpose.
7. Volunteer
Being of service to others is a tried and true method for finding your purpose. Think of an area of your community that you feel connected to and would want to help out with.
You can start small, like culling your closet and donating clothes you don’t wear, or looking up your local animal shelter and spending time with some sweet creatures in need of companionship.
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We can’t necessarily change the entire world, but we can change small parts of it, and doing so makes us feel fulfilled, like our lives have a larger meaning.
Ultimately, you get to decide what gives your life purpose. Asking yourself what holds meaning for you and what values you want to incorporate into your daily existence is a great place to start. Even when the world feels overwhelming, you can always come back to what you connect to most.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers social issues, pop culture, and all things to do with the entertainment industry.