Boost your day with quick life tips that make every moment brighter and more productive.
Everyday annoyances abound in modern life. Consider the following:
- I didn't wake up to my alarm.
- The pet used the bathroom in the home.
- The child splattered milk all over the kitchen.
- Mom texted me and said "Why didn't you give me a call last week? Your brother certainly did!..."
- If you can't locate a parking place, you'll be late for a meeting.
True, contemporary existence isn't always easy. And this is true even when things are going well.
From this vantage point, people are a part of the whole living world, having developed via fundamental biological processes such as natural selection. Furthermore, our emotional and social psychological processes developed for simpler situations from an evolutionary standpoint. Humans lived in tiny groups through most of their evolutionary history, exercised frequently, ate all-natural foods, and were surrounded by friends and family. And there were no mobile phones or social media to keep us entertained 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
While packing your essentials, resigning from your job, and moving into a nomadic tribe somewhere in the South Pacific may not be feasible at this point in your life, here are five life tips you can choose to follow today that can help you simply have a good day by harnessing the power of the evolutionary perspective.
Get outside and enjoy nature:
Even if it's pouring outside. Even if your schedule makes it difficult. If you reside in a major metropolitan area. You've got this. And it doesn't have to be complicated. Take the long route to work from your automobile, taking in the flowering trees along the way.
You may take a half-hour stroll on a nearby nature trail and actually observe and feel the bird sounds that pervade the woodland. You may take a ten-minute stroll outdoors and just enjoy the beauty of the cloud patterns like you did when you were five years old. Humans evolved to be completely immersed in nature and life. I've never heard somebody express regret about getting out into nature.
Contact a family member via phone, email, or text:
According to the theory of kin-selected altruism (Hamilton, 1964), people developed not just to be surrounded by family members, but also to watch out for the evolutionary interests of family members—and vice versa. Take a break from your crazy-busy 2021 day and phone a family member you haven't spoken to in a long time. You're not going to be sorry about this either.
Take an hour away from your phone:
Cell phones, as I've written extensively about, encompass a wide range of evolutionarily incompatible characteristics, and reliance on them is just hazardous for a variety of reasons. Take a one-hour break from your phone once a day. I nearly promise you'll experience a sense of calm that you didn't anticipate.
Demonstrate your affection for someone in your life:
Love is firmly embedded in the human evolutionary experience. Expressing and receiving love has the power to instill confidence, warmth, and a sense of purpose in individuals. And showing love to loved ones is both simple and costless! Consider all of the individuals in your life that you adore.
A loving partner, a kid, a parent, an aunt, an uncle, a cousin, a close friend, or even a pet might be considered. And love may be shown in a variety of ways. A fast text, a phone call, hand-picked flowers, a little gift, a poem, a loving snapshot, a kiss, an unexpected caress, and other thoughtful gestures You don't have to wait until Valentine's Day to express your feelings to those you care about!
Make something unique and share it with someone you care about:
Humans have evolved to be incredibly creative beings. We have also grown to cherish and respect the inventiveness of others. Sharing our creative output with individuals we care about is one of the most powerful ways we remain connected to others. Make an effort today to produce something and share it with someone you care about. This may be a poem, a profound picture, a song, a short tale, a hilarious meme, or something else.
The possibilities for inventive goods are limitless. Producing creative things diverts our attention away from the rat race and toward our best selves, living in the present. And sharing our creative creations with loved ones has the power to remind us, on a deep, emotional level, of our life's meaningful ties with others.
In conclusion
Modern life may be full of unpleasant annoyances. An evolutionary view of the human experience may help us understand why this is the case. Today, how about making a conscious decision to be attentive to this problem and to devote some time to activities that reconnect you to your developed human roots?
Get outside; connect with family; disconnect from your smartphone; show someone you actually love them; and/or do something creative and share it with people in your life. Our brains evolved to accomplish all of these activities on a daily basis. And all of these things are simple to do now. Give it a go, in my opinion. Life is much too brief to be squandered in the rat race.
Do you seek significance in your life? To comprehend ordinary life, I believe you need to take a step back and use an evolutionary paradigm.
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