I think true rejuvenation comes from doing those things which give me excitement and energy, those things that I truly enjoy. However, the other day when I started to list things that I would call “my out” I listed a lot of things that I like, but were more normal than enjoyable, such as:
- Organizing – putting things in order so that I can enjoy them more easily, keep track of them, save them and store them carefully, whether it’s files, papers or movies and songs.
- Planning – looking at my schedule for the day or for the week, even sometimes for years ahead, contemplating the things I need to do while making time for things I like to do and things I would love to do.
- Reading – often productive materials, self improvement books or spiritual books. Though some of them are just for pure enjoyment, I usually prefer motivation or improvement literature.
- Sports Activities – playing football with friends, jumping rope, hiking in the wilderness, playing frisbee, walking, swimming around, lifting weights and running around are all very fun things to do. Sometimes I do them just for the fun of it, but I don’t often seek out those opportunities as often as I would like and not nearly as often as I need to.
- Networking – growing older I see more and more how energized I feel after talking with other people, learning more about them, and broadening my horizons to the possibilities of helping others and taking actions to help the world. I enjoy keep up with people, teachers, principals, friends, advisors, mentors and acquanticances and have, on more than one occasion, observed how our collective efforts can benefit large numbers of people which as always been of considerable motivation to me.
Thing traits have been very beneficial to me for many years, and I think they will aid in my personal health for a long time. In fact, I think of their characteristics will impart significant benefit to me in my future professional endeavors no matter what they may be.
However, as I listed certain things they clearly fit another category. They were things that were done simply because I truly enjoy them. These things really rejuvenate me and make me feel like I’m being bad, spoiling myself and somehow wasting my time (yet somehow, not):
- Exploring – when I go in my car sometimes and drive around at night or during the day, enjoying the environment, the wind, the sounds, the sights, the idea of getting lost, I enjoy the excitement of finding something new and freedom to stay out as long as I want.
- Meditating – I truly enjoy trying Buddhist practices, watching the world go by around me and not within me, trying to see universal humanity, my own role in this day and this life and sometimes, most difficultly, trying to meditate on absolutely nothing.
- Photography/Videography – making movies is often a great release for me, I love recording things so that I can put them together in some cohesive piece together. In many ways, I am connecting my life using memories of times I have enjoyed with others.
- Philosophy/Debate – integrated with journaling, I love debating with myself about emotions, thoughts and reality. I think most that falls under the auspices of philosophy, but I personally think that falls right under biology, the study of life. I enjoy talking with others, learning more about what they think and then thinking myself too.
- Journaling – as much as I love to think about things, I have become more and more convinced that I truly find closure to certain thoughts by writing them down. I constantly revise my thinking about all aspects of life, but each one can become its own journal entry. It can become difficult to keep it all organized some times, and even now I have a backlog of what I want to write about. However, I think writing in a journal is one of the healthiest mental activities that I take part in (while sports activities, again, can certainly not be ignored with all of their physical and mental benefits).
