50 Simple Pleasures to Brighten Your Day

It is important to count your blessings every now and then, especially the simple pleasures that make life worth living.

By making lists of the things you enjoy and appreciate, you are reminding yourself that life is infinitely awesome. And in fact, studies show that indulging in “small pleasures” is important for our mental health and well-being.

I challenge you to take 5 minutes right now and write down as many simple pleasures as you can remember.

This is an exercise that is especially useful when you are down or depressed and need that extra boost. It’s difficult to physically stay sad when you’re thinking about so many positively-energized experiences and memories.

Once you’re done with your list, compare it to some of the ones I’ve gathered (about 50% of these are mine, the other 50% are ones I’ve gathered from others):

50 Simple Pleasures to Brighten Your Day

1. Putting on pajamas right after they come out of the dryer

2. Switching to the cool side of the pillow in the middle of the night

3. Waking up in the middle of the night with dry mouth and getting a cold beverage from the fridge (preferably orange juice)

4. Completing a long paper assignment

5. Waking and baking and then deciding to lay in bed for another 4 hours

6. The feeling of grass on bare feet

7. Diving into a cool-temperature pool after a hot day at the beach

8. Finding money in one of your old pant’s pockets

9. Milk and cookies

10. Taking a piss after six beers

11. Washing your hands, after counting and rolling hundreds of dollars in change

12. Finally getting to the toilet after a long and excruciating wait

13. That little flutter you get the first time that special someone kisses you

14. A good back massage

15. Cooking a huge meal and enjoying the fruit of your labor

16. Receiving a letter from an old loved one

17. Freshly baked bread

18. Visiting a foreign country and absolutely falling in love with its culture

19. Taking a nap in the sun

20. Being lazy for a whole Sunday

21. Sore muscles after a long and productive workout

22. Getting away with the consequences after making a really stupid mistake

23. Smell of BBQ on a nice summer day

24. Minty breathe right after you brush your teeth

25. Stargazing on a clear night sky

26. Finally seeing your all-time favorite band live

27. Morning thunder

28. An unexpected compliment

29. Driving with the windows down and music blasting (good weather is a must too)

30. Smell of a good bacon, egg, toast breakfast in the morning (why not some pancakes too)

31. Hot cocoa with marshmallows after playing in the snow

32. Cool sand in between your toes on a sunny day at the beach

33. Smell of good food cooking in the other room

34. Waiting all night and finally getting to dance with that special girl/guy

35. Rollercoasters

36. Looking back on a piece of art or writing that you did a long time ago and liking it better than you remember

37. Getting a new puppy, kitten or other cool pet

38. Finding new things to ponder about

39. First cup of coffee in the morning

40. Cuddling with a loved one

41. The smell of a new car

42. Coming back home after a long overdue vacation

43. Finishing a really good book

44. Discovering a new music artist that simply blows you away

45. The calm before the storm

46. Being in an airplane when it takes off

47. Completing an hour long meditation

48. Winning a board game

49. Getting a hole-in-one in miniature golf (or golf in general is pretty sweet)

50. Finding the good in someone

Of course, at the end of the day, you shouldn’t just list these simple pleasures; instead, you should try to engage in them as much as possible – because these are the little things that really make life enjoyable.

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