Trying New Activities Benefits Our Mood and Well-Being
Humans and old dogs can learn new tricks!
From the time we are born we are learning and trying out new activities. As we grow we begin to develop preferences for certain activities and notice we have specific talents. We gravitate to the things we are good at and tend to shy away from activities that feel too challenging. It can feel more comfortable to stick with what we know rather than branch out and stretch our comfort zone. However, research shows challenging ourselves mentally and physically is helpful for our mood and is especially important and beneficial for us as we age.
My husband Ryan is a very athletic individual. He is an expert skier, has competed in several long distance triathlons, and has the balance and coordination of a mountain goat. He is ridiculously strong, yet nimble and can make the most difficult physical feats look easy. I find his natural athleticism incredibly admirable and if I am being completely honest, it also annoys the hell out of me. Trying to keep up with Ryan is impossible for those of us who are mere mortals. While he is supportive and helpful when we are doing activities together, he is also genuinely perplexed about why some activities (e.g., skiing, hiking, etc. ) are so challenging for me and others. Nevertheless, I do my best to keep up. However some of our friends make it a point to run the other direction when Ryan says, “Don’t worry, follow me!”
Last year we went on a trip with dear friends, one of whom is an avid windsurfer. Ryan had never done it, but decided to try out wing foiling, which is a variation of windsurfing. I went out to watch him and saw him perform the same way any beginner would. He looked shaky, he fell a lot, and struggled to do things the more experienced wing foilers did with ease. I’m not used to seeing Ryan as a beginner, and wondered if he would enjoy doing something that wasn’t easy for him. However, when he got out of the water, he couldn’t stop talking about how much fun he had. Some might find this surprising…how could Ryan enjoy something that was so challenging for him?
The truth is the challenge was what Ryan loved the most. He hadn’t been a beginner at a new sport in a long time and it wasn’t something he could do automatically. He found it exciting and it held his attention differently than activities he was skilled at doing. For example, Ryan can ski extreme terrain without having to think about it. It is second nature to him, just like walking. Wing foiling, on the other hand, was a very different experience for Ryan. He was completely immersed in the activity and fully present in what he was doing because it took all of his concentration and coordination. He had no expectation of having to be good at it, he simply enjoyed the experience and the thrill of doing something new.
Ryan’s experience is actually quite common. Our brains like new activities because they are perceived as novel and exciting. In fact, research shows when we engage in novel experiences, neurotransmitters and chemicals (i.e., dopamine, endorphins) are released in our brain that make us feel good. Additionally, learning something new takes a lot of focus and attention and forces us to be present and fully engaged (mindful) in what we are doing. Being mindful and fully present is an effective way to reduce emotional distress (more about that in future posts).
TIPS for expanding our interests:
Don’t be afraid to try something new. Yes, an old dog can learn new tricks! Is there something you have been interested in learning, trying, or experiencing? Go for it! We tend to hold ourselves back from trying new things simply because we fear the unknown or we are afraid we might fail. However if we don’t try we may miss out on something wonderful. For instance, Julia Child, the famous cookbook author and the pioneer of television cooking shows, took up cooking in her thirties simply because she enjoyed it. Her passion evolved into her profession but not until decades (and several challenges and rejections) later. She published her first cookbook at the age of 50 and began hosting The French Chef on PBS shortly thereafter.
Let go of the condition that you have to be great at something in order to enjoy it. There are things we may enjoy doing that we may not be the best at. So what? While there may be a minimum level of proficiency in order to enjoy an activity, we don’t always need to be experts. Have you given up something you loved simply because you didn’t feel you could master it? What would it be like to do it anyway? For example, I have a complicated relationship with skiing. I am an intermediate skier and the more pressure I put on myself to be better at it, the less I enjoy it. I enjoy skiing on sunny days and see it as a fun way to be outside and hang out with friends. I am simply not interested in risking injury to push myself to the next level. Once I stopped putting unnecessary pressure on myself to be better I enjoyed skiing so much more.
Rediscover activities you once loved. Are there things you used to love doing, but somewhere along the way they lost their appeal? What originally drew you to that activity and why did you enjoy doing it? Sometimes we put pressure on ourselves to perform at a certain level and when don’t reach our goal we discontinue the activity all together. Perhaps you gave up something you loved simply because you didn’t have time. If we revisit things we enjoyed when life demands shift or after a little bit of distance, they can be appealing to us once again.
Develop a plan. It’s easy to have ideas to try something new, however it isn’t always easy to turn them into actions. If there is something new you want to try what steps do you need to take? Perhaps it would be helpful to take a class, take a lesson, or recruit a friend to join you.
Life is a constant state of growing and changing. It is easy to limit ourselves to doing the things we are good at because they are comfortable. However exposing ourselves to new challenges and experiences is associated with enhancing mood and well-being. What are the things you have wanted to do or try but have put on hold? Why not try something new? You may find yourself winging it with a world champion windsurfer.
Sweet article
Well said but when can we get you on a Wing board? Follow me!