How to Design a New Lifestyle in 3 Easy Steps

Source: Photo by Tyler Nix on Unsplash

There comes a time when you feel stuck in your tedious lifestyle—the same old mindnumbing routines, blurring each day into the next. You greet every sunrise disinterested, unable to muster excitement or motivation.

Whether it's lifestyle fatigue or high-functioning depression, dullness feels similar. You've got a bad case of the "blahs" and are clueless about how to cure them.

Time for a lifestyle reboot

Chances are your lifestyle evolved without planning or thought. As a child, you rarely had to worry about your choices; they were usually made for you. What's more, the newness of life sparkled with excitement. Each day was a daring adventure filled with unknowns.

Even as a young adult, you had reasons to feel enthusiastic. Perhaps you started a new job or school, moved to a new neighborhood, or were in the honeymoon thrill of a new relationship. In any case, you hadn't established consistency or fallen into repetitive patterns. You didn't have to work to keep your lifestyle engaging. "Newness" kept everything fresh.

Boredom as a trigger

Familiarity is comforting but also breeds stagnation. With repetition, even the most exciting job can become a snooze fest.

Consider boredom to be a trigger for self-reflection. If you're feeling bored, chances are that you're taking a passive approach to frustration. Rather than push yourself to explore creative solutions to your boredom, you passively scroll or consume media. You train your brain to detach from frustration by disassociating rather than challenging it.

Unresolved frustration eventually transforms into repression that saps your energy and drains vitality from your life. Hopelessness about your future also sucks the joy of living in the moment.

Rebooting your lifestyle

The road to rebooting your lifestyle doesn't start with quitting your job, moving to a new neighborhood, or terminating your relationships. Such changes are often cosmetic because they frequently fail to resolve underlying emotional issues.

A change in environment may feel refreshing, but you're likely to take the same emotional script. In the end, your lackluster lifestyle follows you wherever you go; different environments, the same outcome,

Your new lifestyle

You entirely depended on your parents in your childhood to set your lifestyle. In adulthood, it's all up to you. Waiting and hoping won't do. You can't be passive when refreshing your lifestyle; you will have to get out of your own way.

To get you started, here are three simple steps you can take today:

• Disrupt your routine: Change is essential for growth, no matter how small. A simple change in daily patterns is a wake-up call to your senses. Take a different route to work, listen to other music, and challenge yourself to do something new every day or at least once weekly. These little changes will stimulate new responses in you and get things moving in the right direction.
• Explore new passions: Childhood is full of wonder; adulthood, not so much. That means the burden is on you to find new passions and interests. Take a dance class, start a new exercise routine, joining a writers' group. Whatever you do, choose something unique. Keep exploring, meeting new people, or traveling; stretch yourself, and you'll rarely feel bored with your lifestyle.
• Develop a mindfulness practice: The primary function of a mindfulness practice is to shine a light on parts of yourself that are poisoning your outlook. For example, if you are always complaining, everything you do will feel pointless. Dedicating time to reflect on the unconscious choices that shape your perspective empowers you to make new choices. There are all kinds of mindfulness practices (See "Why Meditation Doesn't Work For Everyone.”) Take your time and find one that fits you.

For more, see 5 Essential Steps to Be Happier and Achieve Your Dreams.