Have you ever read a book, watched a movie or seen a post on Instagram and wished that was your life? How you’d be happier if you were there and not where you are right now? Everyone has at one point and it’s a difficult rut to get out of, but there are ways we can make our everyday lives just that little bit more special.
Be grateful for what you already have
The hardest step is breaking negative thinking, it’s easy to wish for more but we all could do with being grateful for all that we currently own. Wherever you are reading this from, whether it’s your phone or a computer, be grateful you have that and that you also have access to the internet which hosts a ton of free content to enjoy. Look around you and find things that bring you joy and take a moment to be grateful for it. You can also look back on things you’ve had the opportunity to experience, be it going on holiday, a crazy night out with friends or even a school trip.
Find joy in the small things (casual magic)
Once you learn to be grateful and appreciate all that you have, you will find yourself starting to enjoy the small things, like eating your favourite cereal, watching your favourite tv show or even wearing your favourite jumper. These things will start to become more special and you’ll find you no longer seek big experiences or adventures to excite you, as you feel satisfied with what you already have. Another way to capture casual magic is when you notice something is beautiful, stop and bask in its beauty for a moment and just be, appreciate that moment for what it is, it might be the way a coffee shop smells, how the leaves move or seeing others enjoying time together.
Make your space feel like home
Our mental and physical space are connected and so, to feel more at home and love where you are, you need to make it yours. Start by moving furniture around, decorate, remove things that don’t make you feel happy, surround yourself with things that make you feel alive and that inspire you. Then, when you are feeling down, you can look at all you have made where you are and hopefully it will give you that boost of energy and life you are seeking. Also don’t be afraid to change scenery, go outside to different parks, explore where you live, find hidden history and nature areas many might not know of, these can give us a greater sense of connection to where we are and foster a new found love for where you live.
Make connections with people
No matter who you are, we all need at least a few people in our lives to help support and be with us through the tough and the good times. A good place to start is by reaching out to friends and family, they already know you and so reconnecting won’t be as hard as starting from scratch with someone new, they can help remind you of past joys and help you remember what you love. If you’re feeling brave, go out and find new people, talk to the person sat next to you on the bus, tell that lady you love her dress or stay in and make some internet friends, get a pen pal, join a club, even get a hobby and find a group through that. Reaching out to others expands our own world and makes us feel more connected to life and in the long run we will start to feel more connected to ourselves.
Create fun in small ways
Celebrate existing by doing things that make you happy, put that song on blast, have a bath, make that meal that you’ve been wanting to try, get dressed up and go out, stop holding back and just do the things you’ve always wanted to do. Don’t wait for the ‘right moment’ because every moment counts, launch your art career at 11:42pm and learn that new language on your Thursday lunch break. Don’t wait for life to make something happen, make life happen. Don’t forget to also slow down and take time for yourself, dedicate a specific time where you don’t worry about anything else, schedule it to be at your favourite time of day or night.
Believe in yourself
It’s said that if we say something enough our brain starts to believe it, tell yourself every day you are working hard and what you have right now is a blessing, tell yourself you deserve to have the things that make you happy. Another idea is to make your own morning mantra and believe all that will be yours through hard work and time, and at the end of the day write down everything you enjoyed that day. Reflection can help us remember, and if we focus on the good our days will always be good, and don’t let 5 seconds ruin the other 86395 you have in a day.
Add magic to the difficult tasks
Find that one aspect in a task you don’t enjoy and make it a huge focus, if your room’s a mess but you like things to be organised, focus on organising your items and putting them in specific places and soon it won’t be as difficult to clean in future. But what if you don’t like any aspect of a task? Well, just add something into it that you do like, music can be one way, dance in the shower or scrub the plates to the beat of the music and you’ll soon realise the task is done before you got bored.
Even when practicing casual magic, we need to acknowledge our pain and sorrow but also understand the lows will pass, you’ve been though many tough times but are they still happening? No, you’ve been through them, it’s over and the same will happen with whatever is happening now. Realise life is a journey and there is no destination, even when you reach where you want to be one day there is still so much more to learn and do.
Hello, I'm Megan Dowthwaite, a graphic designer and content creator. I'm fascinated by the world and its various cultures main ones being Korea, the Philippines and other Asian countries, I specifically focus on fashion, art, history and the ecosystem. I love to learn and share my new found knowledge with others.
