Happiness studies teach us we are happier when we experience new things and acquire new skills. Super. I struggle with depression, so today I'm going to go out and try something brand spanking new. Maybe I will eat at a new restaurant or ask my friend to teach me how to drive his motorcycle. Maybe I'll go try on some new make-up in the mall or take a martial arts class.
Hold on. I'm an Aspie. I don't like new things. Change makes me nervous. Learning curves make me dizzy. I have a routine that does not like to veer off track. Heck, most days I don't even want to leave my laptop and the corner of my couch! Does this mean I can't participate in new things? Must I miss out on a relatively easy way to make myself smile more because leaving my comfort zone causes me so much stress?
Not necessarily. While I think I'd have more opportunities to find cool happiness building adventures if I ventured out of my house to the land of really new experiences, I'm going to compromise and try new things that I can experience right inside my house. That way, if the change in my routine or additional time spent on something novel makes me nervous and cranky instead of happy and glee-filled, I can abandon the endeavor and retreat to my corner of the couch. But I won't give up and cuddle in my corner forever! Little by little, I will inch my way toward a new experience until I am ready to take the big step beyond my comfy space toward something really unique beyond my front door. Until then, I'm going to...
- Get out my kids' old art supplies and work up some art. I think I'll start with a collage. I like the idea of making art tactile and hands-on, but if this medium gets too be too messy and sticky, I'll switch to doodling and melting crayons on to cardboard with a hair dryer. That ought to be fun, unless it starts to smell too much, in which case, I'll grab a coloring book and color only outside the lines.
- Set my camera to mega zoom and take photos of the tiniest parts of the most ordinary things in my home. Then I will load them on my computer and make a slide show of images that I find aesthetically pleasing.
- Write a book of wisdom for me and mine to contemplate. I won't use the computer, rather, I will use lined paper and my best penmanship to make the book as personal as can be. I hope I can read what I wrote. Maybe I better print.
- Teach myself a new dance move I make up or try to copy from something I have seen.
- Download a new language lesson on the computer and learn some basic French. Or Italian. Either one will be an interesting challenge.
- Make a new meal with things I find in my pantry and refrigerator.
- Rearrange the furniture in my living room. If I like that, I will rearrange furniture in another room. If I like that, I may mix things up from one room to another.
- Communicate only by asking questions and really listening to the answers I receive.
- Take apart a broken down appliance.
- Learn to recite the alphabet backwards, with ease.
- Learn American Sign Language. At least the alphabet.
- Write my politicians to tell them how I feel about at least three important (to me) issues.
- Start making a list of all the birds and wildlife that inhabit my backyard. Then read ways I can make my yard more appealing for them. Then make my yard their favorite place to visit.
- Write a new song, possibly with lyrics.
- Juggle 2 balls, then 3.
- Learn how to give the Heimlich maneuver.
- Make a budget and stick to it better and better every day.
- Watch a television show I have never had interest in before. I am not a big fan of local newscasts, but perhaps by watching one I can learn about something in my area that will help make my moving beyond my home easier and interesting.
The key to happiness lies within, but sometimes we have to go outside our comfort zone to find it. If you change things up, even just a tiny, little bit, I'll wager you can up your happiness quotient!
