Growing up, we always had tulips around the house around my birthday, so as an April baby I associate them with happy times in my life. There’s a sentimentality to them.
I agree that when I truly started chasing joy—rather than happiness, which is fleeting—I felt something like childhood awe rise up within me again. It’s a remarkable thing.
One of the biggest reminders of all of those feelings you're describing is traveling.
Being in a new place and experiencing new things wakes up your brain and reminds you that you're alive --and that the world is not the same old world you always think it is.
I once read that all travel is also internal travel. Because your brain breaks free of the 60% same old thoughts you think every day. New stimuli allows your brain to think of new ways. And we don't even need to verify the old patterns or habits. They really weren't the problem.
I think the **change** in habits itself.. is as important as the habits. The feeling of newness. Literally creating new neural pathways. 😊
Ever since I left IG, I’ve realized how easily social media can make us feel like our mundane and normal lives are boring. Most of us live similar lives, and the little things are what make them special and unique. Thanks for this lovely reminder.
a few months ago, I watched this "day in my life" youtube vlog with Elaina Michelle & I realized how on social media (mainly IG since that's all I have) we get these quick rapid fire snippets of life that make every moment seem so thrilling and exciting & it's so easy to feel like our lives our boring when we don't have that same immediate boom boom boom carousel of highlights, but on the longer form vlogs, their days seem just as mundane and ordinary as mine does: grocery store, workout, cleaning the house, cooking meals, etc. & I realized that it was all in the perspective. These influencers work to sell this romanticized vision, but I could just as easily see the beauty in the mundane the way they do while obv not making content about it but just living in the moment.
I agree that slowing down means noticing the little details of our daily life…it’s funny I also watch my flowers everyday as they bloom…the beauty of life! Makes me happy too…
And I agree that travel sharpens our senses and increases our attention to detail, we observe more and admire more of everything that surrounds us…🩶
Thank you for this reminder and permission! I think social media has created this pressure to constantly prove how exciting and wild our lives are. Since leaving Instagram, I’ve found so much more peace in the slower pace of everyday life.
Yesterday I went for a walk in my local park, and the sun was shining through the bright green leaves. It made me so happy, just seeing the trees coming back to life. I had this moment of clarity, like, this is it. These small, simple moments are what truly make me feel good.
This was such a gentle and grounding read. I could really relate to what you wrote about the fear of boredom — even though I love living simply, that thought still creeps in sometimes. I’ve been finding delight in small things like the sound of rain, sunlight in the late afternoon, or watching the same little sparrows in the park. Thank you for asking — it felt really good to pause and think about that. ☺️
Slowing down has been hard here too - a fear of ‘wasting’ my life, not being productive enough, not ‘achieving’ enough - I grew up in an energy of chaos and noise - so calm and quiet are alien to my system - but I am learning - some of my most favourite things to do are: taking my morning coffee and journal outside and sitting on the cliff tops by the sea, listening to the waves and the seagulls, sitting on the sofa with my cats and sitting there long enough that they get comfy and curl up with me, walking along the beach without taking photos (I LOVE photography but sometimes it’s nice just to simply walk and enjoy the views) - thank you for this lovely post 🙏🏻🌷
Lately, I’ve been slowing down. I left my 9–5 to pursue my own business, and while that’s been exciting, I still have days that are meant to be restful, relaxing, and peaceful but my mind doesn’t always get the memo. Sometimes I feel bored and don’t know what to do with myself. Other times, my thoughts spiral into “I should be doing something productive” or “I could be making money right now.” After years of being in a constant hustle mode, it’s hard to just be.
But I recently came across a quote that said something like, “The boredom you feel is actually the peace you’ve been craving,” and that shifted something for me. It helped me see the slower days differently. To start being more intentional with them. Now I start my mornings reading Substack posts like yours, or I pull out old movie stubs and receipts from when my husband and I were dating, and I finally add them to our scrapbook.
So thank you for this post and the reminder. I’m still retraining my brain to embrace stillness and softness, and it’s things like this that help me stay grounded. <3
One of my greatest delights is listening to my husband sing. He never truly knows the words and always gets the verses confused and the timing wrong... but when he sings, I know he is truly happy. That's what makes it so special to hear. One particularly captivating moment of this happened a few months ago when he was cooking dinner while I was relaxing on the couch. He started singing a song I'd never heard before, but that was so sweet and fit perfectly in that moment that I put down my phone and just beamed at him from the living room. I all but quit Facebook after that moment. I told my dearest friend/sister-in-law that I finally figured out the reason why people give up social media. I said, it's not that they don't have anything to share. It's that they are happy to bask in what they already have and want to protect that peace. People offline have found something to be sublimely happy about in real life.
Such a lovely post and reminder. I am still trying to find how to enjoy again much like this. For so long all I've wanted is to be extraordinary. I still do, but hope it can also come with enjoyment simply.
"this isn’t for Instagram, it’s for me" - mmm wow yes. This is something I've noticed since taking an Instagram pause almost a month ago and I think I underestimated how profound it would be and how much it would affect my daily life. My day-to-day life is no longer a performance - constantly filtering things through the lens of how others will perceive it. And it's so freeing.
Yes! Just cut hyacinths from a friend’s bed for a supper bouquet.
Earlier, a friend and I admired garden tulips in the middle of downtown.
I used to feel as if life was rushing away from me but now I feel settled in the middle of my life and most of all is lived in and savored. Every day means something.
Growing up, we always had tulips around the house around my birthday, so as an April baby I associate them with happy times in my life. There’s a sentimentality to them.
I agree that when I truly started chasing joy—rather than happiness, which is fleeting—I felt something like childhood awe rise up within me again. It’s a remarkable thing.
One of the biggest reminders of all of those feelings you're describing is traveling.
Being in a new place and experiencing new things wakes up your brain and reminds you that you're alive --and that the world is not the same old world you always think it is.
I once read that all travel is also internal travel. Because your brain breaks free of the 60% same old thoughts you think every day. New stimuli allows your brain to think of new ways. And we don't even need to verify the old patterns or habits. They really weren't the problem.
I think the **change** in habits itself.. is as important as the habits. The feeling of newness. Literally creating new neural pathways. 😊
Ever since I left IG, I’ve realized how easily social media can make us feel like our mundane and normal lives are boring. Most of us live similar lives, and the little things are what make them special and unique. Thanks for this lovely reminder.
a few months ago, I watched this "day in my life" youtube vlog with Elaina Michelle & I realized how on social media (mainly IG since that's all I have) we get these quick rapid fire snippets of life that make every moment seem so thrilling and exciting & it's so easy to feel like our lives our boring when we don't have that same immediate boom boom boom carousel of highlights, but on the longer form vlogs, their days seem just as mundane and ordinary as mine does: grocery store, workout, cleaning the house, cooking meals, etc. & I realized that it was all in the perspective. These influencers work to sell this romanticized vision, but I could just as easily see the beauty in the mundane the way they do while obv not making content about it but just living in the moment.
Love that B&W picture of the tulips!!! 🌷
I agree that slowing down means noticing the little details of our daily life…it’s funny I also watch my flowers everyday as they bloom…the beauty of life! Makes me happy too…
And I agree that travel sharpens our senses and increases our attention to detail, we observe more and admire more of everything that surrounds us…🩶
Thank you for this reminder and permission! I think social media has created this pressure to constantly prove how exciting and wild our lives are. Since leaving Instagram, I’ve found so much more peace in the slower pace of everyday life.
Yesterday I went for a walk in my local park, and the sun was shining through the bright green leaves. It made me so happy, just seeing the trees coming back to life. I had this moment of clarity, like, this is it. These small, simple moments are what truly make me feel good.
This was such a gentle and grounding read. I could really relate to what you wrote about the fear of boredom — even though I love living simply, that thought still creeps in sometimes. I’ve been finding delight in small things like the sound of rain, sunlight in the late afternoon, or watching the same little sparrows in the park. Thank you for asking — it felt really good to pause and think about that. ☺️
Hi Anika! This is beautiful, it made me smile and remember to stay present! Thank you for sharing!
Slowing down has been hard here too - a fear of ‘wasting’ my life, not being productive enough, not ‘achieving’ enough - I grew up in an energy of chaos and noise - so calm and quiet are alien to my system - but I am learning - some of my most favourite things to do are: taking my morning coffee and journal outside and sitting on the cliff tops by the sea, listening to the waves and the seagulls, sitting on the sofa with my cats and sitting there long enough that they get comfy and curl up with me, walking along the beach without taking photos (I LOVE photography but sometimes it’s nice just to simply walk and enjoy the views) - thank you for this lovely post 🙏🏻🌷
Lately, I’ve been slowing down. I left my 9–5 to pursue my own business, and while that’s been exciting, I still have days that are meant to be restful, relaxing, and peaceful but my mind doesn’t always get the memo. Sometimes I feel bored and don’t know what to do with myself. Other times, my thoughts spiral into “I should be doing something productive” or “I could be making money right now.” After years of being in a constant hustle mode, it’s hard to just be.
But I recently came across a quote that said something like, “The boredom you feel is actually the peace you’ve been craving,” and that shifted something for me. It helped me see the slower days differently. To start being more intentional with them. Now I start my mornings reading Substack posts like yours, or I pull out old movie stubs and receipts from when my husband and I were dating, and I finally add them to our scrapbook.
So thank you for this post and the reminder. I’m still retraining my brain to embrace stillness and softness, and it’s things like this that help me stay grounded. <3
One of my greatest delights is listening to my husband sing. He never truly knows the words and always gets the verses confused and the timing wrong... but when he sings, I know he is truly happy. That's what makes it so special to hear. One particularly captivating moment of this happened a few months ago when he was cooking dinner while I was relaxing on the couch. He started singing a song I'd never heard before, but that was so sweet and fit perfectly in that moment that I put down my phone and just beamed at him from the living room. I all but quit Facebook after that moment. I told my dearest friend/sister-in-law that I finally figured out the reason why people give up social media. I said, it's not that they don't have anything to share. It's that they are happy to bask in what they already have and want to protect that peace. People offline have found something to be sublimely happy about in real life.
Such a lovely post and reminder. I am still trying to find how to enjoy again much like this. For so long all I've wanted is to be extraordinary. I still do, but hope it can also come with enjoyment simply.
"this isn’t for Instagram, it’s for me" - mmm wow yes. This is something I've noticed since taking an Instagram pause almost a month ago and I think I underestimated how profound it would be and how much it would affect my daily life. My day-to-day life is no longer a performance - constantly filtering things through the lens of how others will perceive it. And it's so freeing.
Yes! Just cut hyacinths from a friend’s bed for a supper bouquet.
Earlier, a friend and I admired garden tulips in the middle of downtown.
I used to feel as if life was rushing away from me but now I feel settled in the middle of my life and most of all is lived in and savored. Every day means something.