Kemar Meaningful Directions
We came across a quote recently by Dr Edith “Mundane life is life too”. And it got us thinking…
Generally a typical day can look like this: Wake up, prepare breakfast, pick up stuff off the floor, watch news, look at social media, clean up, drop off kids to school, laundry washing, emails, work, lunch, check social media again, grocery shopping, pick up kids, more laundry washing, preparing dinner, pick up more stuff off the floor, dishes, emails, watch TV, go to bed, look at more social media, and then finally nod off to sleep. And then you wake up the next day and do it all again.
If you notice that you have those kinds of days more often than not, what you might realise is – that life is boring (in a way). There’s no other way around it. You’re going to have to work, clean, cook, exercise and do a lot of unsexy things that makes it seem like you’re wasting your life. This can sound depressing, but it isn’t once you realise 1) everyone has to do this, and 2) there can be a certain pleasure in the mundane.
Society would have you believe that you need to be out there, doing amazing, adventurous things, and going to nice places – just look at your Instagram or Facebook feed. But we know that this is not all of life. But at times this can make us feel unhappy with our lives when we start comparing it to others, especially those that we believe seem to be living a more glamourous lifestyle.
But there is a concept in psychology called the ‘hedonic treadmill’. Basically, whatever situation we are in, we get used to it. It uses the concept of a treadmill, since no matter how hard one tries to gain an increase in happiness (ie. through making more money or increasing their status), one will remain in the same place. So even famous people, who seem to have a glamorous lifestyle, get used to it, and don’t feel happy all the time even though they seem to be living the dream.
We need to find ways to be okay with the fact that life is going to be mundane at times. You can do this by following these 5 tips….
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Force yourself to slow down
You need to force yourself to slow down and cherish the everyday. Savour the moment now instead of wishing you were doing something else. Notice things around you more, what you can see, hear, smell, touch and taste. Even letting yourself daydream can provide a bit of respite from the stressors of day-to-day life and help you to recharge.
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Being bored is okay
Resisting the urge to get out your phone and start scrolling when you find yourself feeling bored, e.g. in the line at the supermarket, or in a tedious meeting or killing time in a waiting room. Being bored is okay, and in fact your brain, mood and productivity can improve from disconnecting for a while.
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Acceptance
Accepting that life is going to be mundane and a slog at times is necessary. Life is easier when you consent to the mundaneness and stop resisting this. Our acceptance lets us diminish the incessant mental chattering that comes with feeling bored. Acceptance is hard to do, but you can do this by recognising and acknowledging when you are feeling bored, and recognise and acknowledge thoughts that you have about feeling bored (e.g. “I should be doing something more productive with my time”) and focus instead on what is happening in the here and now. Being fine with the mundane means it loses a lot of its power over us.
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Stop comparing yourself to others
We are constantly comparing ourselves to others, whether we are aware of it or not. So we need to let go of ideals and stop wishing for perfection in everything and be grateful for what we do have.
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Gratitude
Be thankful for all that you have. A home, a loving family, food on your plate, running water, your health. Boredom in itself is a luxury, if you think about it. This suggestion may seem flippant or insensitive but hear us out. It’s more likely people who are bored have a majority of their basic needs met and live in a civilisation that is free from hunger, war, and is relatively safe. When we find ourselves feeling dismal about being bored, we should remind ourselves billions of people would give anything to trade places. And to be clear, we’re not trying to create feelings of guilt either. We’re just offering up a different way of looking at things because sometimes stepping outside of our current situation allows us to see things from a different perspective and gives it a new light.
In conclusion
So, once you see past the lie that we need to be living ‘the dream’, you will see that satisfaction with life is internal not external.
A mundane life is an inevitable and valuable part of our lives. And if we can learn to accept and lean into the mundane, find the joy in slowing down, and engage in some gratitude for how things are, even if they seem unexciting, then this will serve you well in living a more full and satisfying life.
Just remember – a mundane life is life too!
