Spice It Up

Work Monday through Friday 9-5, go out Friday and Saturday nights, sleep in Saturday and Sunday mornings and run errands or do chores all day Sunday to prepare for another Monday. If this sounds like your weekly schedule, this post is for you.

I just returned from a weekend away in Northampton, Massachusetts for graduation. I know it’s not a wild and crazy excursion to Vegas or a peaceful trip to the beaches of Miami or Puerto Rico, but it was necessary. Thinking about my trip and all that I’d taken in from being around friends and a different environment made me realize how important it is to change it up every once in a while.

I know plenty of people (including myself at times) who get caught up in the routine of life. We end up doing the same things every day, having the same “small talk” at work or school, eating the same thing for breakfast, talking to their spouse/partner at the same time each day and night, going home the same route. Point blank, it gets tiring and boring and this repetitious life can drain one’s energy.

One simple, easy and for the most part inexpensive way to bring more excitement, joy and fun to your life is to spice it up. Doing one thing differently in your day helps keep living interesting. Try something new, explore and you can learn more about yourself and your surroundings.

Here are some things you can try that may spice up your life:

• Try something you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t done: save up to go on that vacation you dream of, make plans to visit a cousin or close friend you haven’t seen in a while, pick up a new hobby, do karaoke or perform at an open mic.

• Next time you’re out with your girls… try out a new club or venue, or instead of going to clubs all the time, go bowling or check out a jazz lounge or new restaurant.

• Expand your musical, intellectual, spiritual or sensual horizons: give a new musical artist a chance and listen to their album, try yoga or Pilates, try meditating in silence instead of spoken prayer, check out a restaurant you’ve never been to, read a book outside of your normal genre. If you’re always surrounded by people, go out alone and if you’re an introvert or enjoy alone time, call that friend you’ve been thinking about or spend a day with a close relative.

• Change your hairstyle every now and then: try braids if you’re always rocking the straight look, or wear your hair out if you always pull it back. If you’ve NEVER cut your hair before, cut it into a new style (i.e. layers, a bob, a very short style). Speaking from experience, cutting my hair very short was a very exciting, nerve-wrecking yet liberating experience and I recommend it. I mean hair grows back and you can always rock a cute wig or weave until it does. If you’ve always worn your hair short, grow it out a little and play with some new styles, you might like the extra length.

I’m not saying you have to change or transform everything in your life but a new experience or risk taken every now and then doesn’t hurt. If we never change, we never grow. Going different places, trying new things and meeting different people allows us to get and stay inspired and excited about life. So go out and challenge yourself to uniqueness, and add small bits of variety to your schedule when and where you can. It keeps you happy and SASSY.

Tagged as: lifestyle, self-care

About the author

Roxanne