Give It Up
Published
Ever heard the saying “you don’t realize what you have until it’s gone”? It might be more than just a motto.
Things that make us happy in life tend to become routine and their benefits eventually fade. They become less enjoyable over time, and we forget how they once brought us joy. This is called “hedonic adaptation,” and it’s one of the biggest enemies of happiness.
On the bright side, research shows that giving up enjoyable activities for a short time prevents hedonic adaptation and boosts the pleasure associated with those activities. Getting back to the activity that you love means you’ll appreciate it more — and appreciating life's little joys is a key to happiness.
“Give it up” for gratitude today by following these steps:
Return to these steps whenever you start to feel the positive effects of a beloved activity wear off. You never know how much you’ll appreciate it until it’s gone!
If you liked this advice, use the social media links on the left side of your page to share it with a nurse and invite them to join Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation!
Missed day 3? Catch up here. Join us on day 5.
Things that make us happy in life tend to become routine and their benefits eventually fade. They become less enjoyable over time, and we forget how they once brought us joy. This is called “hedonic adaptation,” and it’s one of the biggest enemies of happiness.
On the bright side, research shows that giving up enjoyable activities for a short time prevents hedonic adaptation and boosts the pleasure associated with those activities. Getting back to the activity that you love means you’ll appreciate it more — and appreciating life's little joys is a key to happiness.
“Give it up” for gratitude today by following these steps:
- Choose something you enjoy that you have unlimited access to. Some examples: favorite sweet or salty treat, daily coffee, social media, or watching television.
- Go without it today. If you want, try to abstain from it for one week.
- At the end of the day (or week), treat yourself to that thing again. Pay attention to how you feel as you indulge.
Return to these steps whenever you start to feel the positive effects of a beloved activity wear off. You never know how much you’ll appreciate it until it’s gone!
If you liked this advice, use the social media links on the left side of your page to share it with a nurse and invite them to join Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation!
Missed day 3? Catch up here. Join us on day 5.
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12/15/2022 6:45pm CST
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