7 Ways to Spice Up Your Life
Wake up. Work. Sleep. Wake up. Work. Sleep. Wake up. Work. Sl— When does it end??? It’s not that you’re feeling bad, but that you’re feeling the same. We all get a little bored sometimes! We get bogged down in our routines. When was the last time you did something for you? Next time you find yourself operating on autopilot, put down those scissors (your boredom bangs can wait!) and try one of these 7 ways to spice up your life.
1. Cook Something New
Time to put the “spice” into spicing up your life! You might not think about it, but eating the same things day in and day out might be boring your tastebuds, too. Try a new lunch or dinner — meals you might prep in advance or have more time to cook. Learn to cook your favorite food. Bake some cookies. (If you’re not a cook, try some new takeout.) Cooking is an activity and experience rolled into one.
2. Explore Your Neighborhood
How well do you really know your neighborhood? Sure you go on walks. You take trips to the corner store or the coffee shop or walk to meet your friends. But how often do you walk without direction? How often do you wander down streets you have no specific reason to go to. Get to know your neighborhood beyond its utility to you and build a mental map. You might stumble upon a park, a pond, a shop, or a path. You might notice something under construction or spot a pretty garden. The best part? Everywhere you look you’ll see something new.
3. Take Yourself on a Date
Go out to dinner. Read a book in the park. See a movie alone. Go to a concert. Get your hair cut (at the salon) or your nails done. Is there a thing you’ve been waiting for the time to do or a friend to do it with. We have to live with ourselves 24/7, which is hard to do when we rely too much on others to shake up our lives for us. Spend time with yourself outside of your room. It’ll make that whole *being alone with your thoughts* part of life a whole lot more interesting.
4. Put Down Some Roots
In the same vein of getting to know your neighborhood solo, another way to make your life more interesting is to get involved in your community. It’s easy to get lost in our own lives, social circles, and routines, but there’s a whole town or city around you and chances are, you haven’t seen it all. So start reading the news. Pay attention to community and arts calendars. Take a second to read those little flyers on bulletin boards around town and see what’s going on. Getting involved in your community will make you see your home in a brand new light.
5. Set a Goal
New Year’s Day isn’t the only time for resolutions. You can set goals for yourself all year long. From little things like cleaning more often or cooking three meals a day to big things like setting a reading goal or training for a race, sticking to a goal is a great way to get you out of work mode (or let’s be honest, bed rot mode) and get yourself moving. What’s something you’ve always wanted to do, but never committed the time to achieve? Hike a mountain? Read [#] books? Take a dance class? Learn to draw? Well, hop to it! It’s never too late!
6. Take a Vacation
Maybe the most obvious — and also most difficult — way to break the work-sleep-repeat routine is to… not work! If you’re feeling stuck and you’ve got some vacation or sick days (we won’t tell!) saved up, it might be time to take a little time off. Plan a solo trip to a new place or travel within your own region. See how far public transit can take you and to where. Visit a new town or see an attraction. Plan a self-care staycation. If you can afford to give yourself even one day of rest, it’s worth it.
7. Make a New Friend
Struggling to open up your own eyes? Try seeing the world through someone else’s! We talk about this all the time — it’s the Skip the Small Talk way! Not to be dramatic, but making a new friend can be a sacred activity. When you listen to strangers and build new relationships, you see the world in a brand new way. You hear new stories. You encounter new opinions. You see new places and meet new people. So hit up that friend crush! Go to a party. Strike up a conversation. Put yourself out there!