Learning to appreciate the little things: finding the joy in the everyday

Learning to appreciate the little things: finding the joy in the everyday 

As the wise philosopher Dolly Parton once remarked:

" The way I see it - if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain" 


In life, sometimes in order to become the best versions ourselves, we have to overcome both physically and mentally difficult situations. Don't worry, I'm not about to go all spiritual on you or lecture you on how to be happy but recognising that aspects of life and the everyday ordinary aren't always great has helped me to feel better within myself. 

The Next Big Thing 
I have often got caught up on the next big thing, whether this be getting a job, getting married, having children - all the supposed things in life that are meant to make you content. In society today, we often focus on reaching the next milestone, the next holiday, the next step in our lives but I think learning to find the best bit of every day, no matter how mundane it may seem, can really release this enormous pressure of always being successful. 

For many the grass is greener on the other side and we spend our lives pining for what others have - this may be a happy relationship when you're single, going on holiday when you're stuck in rainy England or securing a job when you've graduated and not sure of the next step. 

Social Media - A Scrapbook of Life 
I believe that social media, despite the many positives it brings, can be detrimental to individual happiness. To me, an instagram page or a Facebook feed is like a scrapbook, they're only ever going to portray the best aspects of life. Would you post a picture of you crying, after you've had an argument, when you're feeling rubbish? The answer is most likely to be NO! So why should we equate our ups and downs of everyday to the best bit's of another?! 

The Little Things 
This leads me on to notion of finding the happiness in the everyday, in the ordinary. It is impossible to be happy and content all of the time, it's not mentally or physically possible. There are going to be days when you feel down or when you just can't see the wood for the trees. However, instead of latching onto the next holiday or counting down the days until someone important or exciting happens, I feel there needs to be a new appreciation of finding the happiness in the ordinary. 

I bet you're thinking, whattt??? Finding the happiness in brushing your teeth or sitting in traffic on the way to work??? I know you must be thinking, this girl has gone mad!! 

Finding something to look forward to everyday, whether that be enjoying cooking your evening meal or waiting to watch your favourite TV programme, has really helped me to realise that not every day is exhilarating and exciting but that's ok. 
It's ok to just have an ordinary day. But it's all about finding that one thing within that day that makes you happy - a nice bath, looking around the supermarket, going for a walk or run, meeting up with friends. Not every day is a special day but within each day is something special. 

So, this maybe an odd first blog post and quite a strange way of introducing myself but I have been thinking about this notion of happiness a lot lately. An important part of my life recently has been finding this sense of happiness and fulfilment that doesn't always come from the "next thing" and I believe that feeling content with our own lives lies within learning to appreciate the little things. 

I have linked an article and a book at the end of the post that do a great job of articulating this notion of finding the joy in the ordinary, probably a lot better than me! 

Huffington Post - Want more happiness, it's hidden in the ordinary by Tamara Star 

The Unexpected Joy of the Ordinary by Catherine Gray




- ScribblesOfRosie