The Real Reason Why New Experiences Make You Happy

new experiences

New experiences can be hard to come by at the best of times.

Throw in COVID-19 lockdowns and travel restrictions and you can be forgiven for thinking that you’ll never leave the house ever again, let alone travel overseas. Don’t despair though:

Wanderlust can be found even in the most mundane of places
you just need to know how to look for it.

With that in mind, let’s take a journey together. Let’s take that comfortable routine of yours and shake it up a touch with a new experience that fills you with a glow of wander and excitement.

How Do You Create A New Experience?

benefits of new experiences

A new experience doesn’t require flying halfway around the world to some exotic location.

Instead, a new experience is something you have never experienced or tried before. And new experiences can change your life for the better.

Imagine a new experience being like an ingredient in your favorite meal. Garlic by itself wouldn’t be totally satisfying, nor would tomato sauce. But when you add turmeric, garam masala, ginger, and some veggies, then you’ve got a pretty robust and satisfying meal.

That’s how new experiences work in your own life. They can invigorate the senses, open the mind, and spark inspiration.

In fact, new experiences help you achieve a wide range of benefits. They:

Just like traveling the world can invigorate a new sense of purpose, so too can new experiences in your day-to-day life.

New Experiences For You To Try Next

try new things

New experiences are only limited by your imagination and are as wide-ranging as you’d like them to be. Take these suggested new experiences on to add a little spice in your life.

  1. Shake up Your Work Routine

    Drive a different way, take a different mode of transport, or, if you are working from home, sit somewhere different, work out in your backyard, or chuck on a new genre of music while whittling away at your daily tasks.

  2. Explore a New Hobby

    Especially during this period of self-isolation and social distancing, there was never a better time to pick up your dust-covered guitar, grab yourself a macramé set, start a YouTube channel, or take on a new exercise regime.

  3. Take a Walk Around Your Neighborhood

    Walk somewhere different, explore that street that you’ve always wanted to check out, or ride your bike to a nearby park.

  4. Pick Up A Good Book

    Why not take on the Lord of the Rings saga, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series, or perhaps run it back and read a favorite book from your childhood.

  5. Check Out a New Website

    A personal blog, a how-to website, or maybe a forum with thread topics that align with an interest you have been meaning to research further.

  6. Start Folding Origami or Kirigami

    Both are great for taking some time out to relax and grant you the space in your busy routine to reflect on recent events in your life.

  7. Explore Your Family History

    Contact your relatives, jump onto a family tree website, or dust off those old boxes in the attic and bust out any old photos you can find.

  8. Learn How to Start a Fire the Old-Fashioned Way

    Sure, it’s a bit left of field, but completing this challenge will bring a sense of accomplishment and, as an added bonus, you’ll learn a handy new life skill.

  9. Give Blood

    There are always people in need of blood, you may just save somebody's life.

  10. Practice Mindfulness

    Yoga, meditation, or qigong, you’ll be surprised how much you can learn about yourself just from quieting your mind and exploring the power of your own breath.

  11. Try a New Recipe

    Whether it be a new curry dish, a vegetarian or vegan version of a favorite recipe, or simply a dessert you’ve never tried before, cooking something new can bring all sorts of pleasures into your life.

  12. Get Pickling!

    Brew your own kombucha, make your own sauerkraut, bust out some kimchi or even some kefir. Not only are these fermented foods super good for you but they are also a great way to get the kids into the kitchen.

  13. Pack a Picnic

    Find a nice sunny spot to eat your way through all the goodies you made. Even if it’s in your own backyard, eating somewhere different, especially outside in a nice warm sunny spot, will change things up just nicely.

  14. Donate to a Charity In Need

    There is always somebody who could use your help and with COVID-19 hitting the world’s poorest the hardest, there has never been a better time. Check out a charity rater like CharityNavigator.org before you donate.  The team at Charity Navigator and similar charity rating websites break down exactly where your money is being spent, how effectively the charity is helping the people they have pledged to assist, and just how effective their strategies are at achieving these goals.

  15. Go Camping

    And finally, take your family for an overnight camp somewhere. If you are lucky enough to live by a state forest or national park, why not take a trip to get back in touch with nature. Camping is generally social-distancing friendly, it's inexpensive, and it will bring you a tonne of new experiences you wouldn’t have had if you stayed at home.

Conclusion

Finding new experiences in your life doesn’t have to be as hard as you think. They really are everywhere if you look hard enough. And best of all, they’ll help break the monotony, spice up the mundane, and open your mind to a whole new world of possibilities. 

    1. Emmons, Robert A., and Robin Stern. “Gratitude as a Psychotherapeutic Intervention.” Journal of Clinical Psychology 69, no. 8 (June 17, 2013): 846–55. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22020.

    2. Harris, Alex H. S., Frederic Luskin, Sonya B. Norman, Sam Standard, Jennifer Bruning, Stephanie Evans, and Carl E. Thoresen. “Effects of a Group Forgiveness Intervention on Forgiveness, Perceived Stress, and Trait-Anger.” Journal of Clinical Psychology 62, no. 6 (January 1, 2006): 715–33. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.20264.

    3. Barlow, Meaghan, Carsten Wrosch, Jean-Philippe Gouin, and Ute Kunzmann. “Is Anger, but Not Sadness, Associated with Chronic Inflammation and Illness in Older Adulthood?” Psychology and Aging 34, no. 3 (May 1, 2019): 330–40. https://doi.org/10.1037/pag0000348.

    4. Charity Navigator. “Charity Ratings and Donor Resources | Charity Navigator,” n.d. https://www.charitynavigator.org/.