Ways to Make Life More Meaningful
At some point, we might wonder what the meaning of our lives is. If you've ever had this thought, then console yourself that you are not alone. There is ample anecdotal evidence that people are looking for ways to live a more meaningful life.
Living a meaningful life, and deciding what is meaningful, is an ancient question. However, you might wonder what we mean by meaning and if there is any benefit in fighting for that way of life. And are there any practical suggestions on how to achieve a meaningful life?
Here we will summarize the existing psychological research that examined this question and provide you with a starting point on your journey.
THE BIG QUESTIONS: HOW TO FIND MEANING IN LIFE
The question of finding meaning in life has its roots in two fields, philosophy and psychology.
The philosophical question of finding meaning in life is aimed at understanding the meaning of life, in general, and our role in that meaning: the philosophical bent on this question is not relevant to this discussion.
However, the second variation of this question: how do we find meaning in life: it is a psychological question and of greater interest to us. It is this question that interests us!
At some point in our lives, we will be faced with a variation of the following questions:
Why am I doing this?
Do I want to do this?
What I want to do
Before we can answer the question of how to find meaning, we must first consider what is meant by meaning.
Psychological researchers conduct research and measure psychological concepts, for example, happiness, depression, and intelligence. However, constructions must first be defined before they can be measured.
Although the meaning of construction is often confused with constructions such as purpose, coherence, and happiness, some researchers argue that these constructions are not interchangeable, but instead form a complex relationship and exist separately.
5 WAYS TO UNDERSTAND ITS MEANING
How can we find our meaning? First, there is no single panacea for meaningless living. Finding meaning is ultimately a personal journey for you; what makes sense to me might not make sense to me. However, this does not mean that the techniques used to find the meaning will not be helpful.
With this in mind, the following suggestions can be followed in your search to find the meaning:
1. FOSTER A PASSION (PURPOSE)
Motivation or passion drives our desire and interest in activities.
Motivation is useful for activities that are considered boring (for example, washing dishes), while passion is the driving force for activities that are important to us.
Passion, however, can be negative or positive. Negative passion, known as obsessive passions, is maladaptive and leads to unhealthy behaviours; These types of passions should be avoided. On the other hand, positive passions, that is, harmonious passions, improve our behaviour and lead to optimal functioning.
2. DEVELOP AND PROMOTE SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS (PURPOSE, IMPORTANCE)
Establishing connections with other people and maintaining these relationships is a reliable way to develop a sense of meaning.
People who report fewer social connections, loneliness, and ostracism also report lower reports of meaning. Sharing your passions with a group of like-minded people helps to develop even more harmonious passions, which, in turn, can generate a sense of meaning.
3. RELATIONSHIPS THAT INCREASE YOUR SENSE OF BELONGING (IMPORTANCE)
Although social connections are important, not all social relationships are the same. Make sure to focus on the relationships that make you feel like you belong, where you feel like you fit in with the members of that group, and there is group identification.
4. CONTROL YOUR MOOD (CONSISTENCY)
Experimental laboratory studies have shown a temporal relationship between positive mood and sense of meaning: inducing a positive mood results in higher reports of meaning.
Managing your mood can be difficult. However, there are some techniques you can use, such as making time for interests and hobbies, getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, eating healthy, and considering practising mindfulness development (for example, through meditation).
5. TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR ENVIRONMENT (CONSISTENCY)
There is some evidence that a cognitively coherent environment can increase meaning ratings.
Routines, patterns (which could refer to your behaviour and the behaviour of your family), clean and time-blocking environments may contribute to a greater ability to make sense of your environment, which your time can lead to a greater sense of meaning.
Simple ways to induce a cognitively consistent environment would be to implement a fixed routine, schedule time for unexpected tasks (for example, e-mailed emergencies), formally schedule downtime for exercise and passions, and maintain an orderly environment. (In other words, no, you shouldn't keep all of your dirty coffee mugs on your desk.)
However, don't be unreasonable in the expectations of your surroundings. Unexpected challenges will appear, your child will have a breakdown, he may drop an egg crate on the floor, but these environments will have a less negative impact if he already has a sense of control of his surroundings.
Most importantly, you must find a meaning that makes sense to you and recognize that this meaning may change as you go through different stages of your life. Contact me for more information.