In positive
psychology, zest is one of the five-character strengths that contribute most to
a sense of life-satisfaction. As a component of the virtue of courage, zest
means approaching life enthusiastically, as an adventure and being excited
about life.
Benefits
of having zest.
Zest is the ability to face life’s ups and downs with energy, eagerness
and enthusiasm. To be zestful is having an optimistic attitude and perspective
in all that you do. As one of the strengths possessed by humanity, zest
involves performing tasks wholeheartedly, whilst also being adventurous,
vivacious and energetic.
- It makes life more fun. The yeeha kind of fun!
- It is attractive to people. Enthusiasm is probably one of the
most attractive qualities any person can have.
- It makes you psyched to do things. The result is rapid growth and
learning.
- It makes for powerful communication. Your words become more captivating.
- It gets things done. The eager beaver wins every time.
The
test for zest.
Many people over
time have lost
their zest. The depletion of zest often comes from burnout; the emotional, mental and physical exhaustion from excessive and prolonged
stress, high pressure jobs, emotionally demanding interactions and
not enough recovery. Your lifestyle, personality traits and your outlook on
life can all play a role in causing burnout. A few key indicators are:
- Exhaustion. Are you feeling
physically and emotionally exhausted?
- Negative Emotions. Do you feel overly
cynical, detached or have decreased joy?
- Lack of Motivation. Do you feel a lack of
desire to do things?
How to
harvest some zest.
The trick is to
understand what activities rejuvenate you and nurture and grow those seeds of
wisdom - only then can you harvest your zest.
Savour
the Moment.
Modern life encourages us to speed through breakfast, have a non-stop
day and finish with a quick workout. Choose instead to relish your moments and
your meals.
Life is but the ongoing moment-to-moment living. If you can learn to
slow down in life and enjoy every morsel, research shows that present-moment
awareness increases stress resilience, well-being and zest! Savouring moments
in our lives helps us develop a greater sense of excitement about the present.
Seek
adventure.
A great way to cultivate zest is to break up the usual routine and
introduce some discomfort or risk. In doing so, you are able to see the world
differently. It does not have to be a crazy, dangerous or far from home
adventure, it can be small and achievable. The goal is to interrupt normalcy -
it should be fun, exciting, challenging, refreshing and rewarding.
Find a
hobby.
Think back to when
you were younger, was there something you loved to do? Painting, bike riding,
baking, music, camping? …Mindlessly watching television, shopping or sitting at
the computer are passive in nature and do not cultivate zest. Whereas
hobbies are more immersive and lead you to a zesty life.
Play.
Zest is wholehearted living and it involves having a potent connection
to satisfaction in life. Opportunities for play are not solely for kids, they
are all around us! Things like a bike ride with your friends, tossing the
frisbee around with your partner, colouring, board games, flying your drone
with some pals.
Limit
your contact with zest vampires.
Hanging out with
pessimistic zest vampires who do nothing but complain will only drag you down.
Try to limit or eliminate your time spent with people who are not positive
and zesty!
Do not feel pressured to sit and listen to a negative person. Their
negative energy will seep into your own life and suck your zest reserves. Set
boundaries and put some distance between you and them.
Hang
out in the woods.
Are you sitting at
your computer reading this? Go
outside! Being in nature has a profound impact on our
brains and our behaviour. Something about nature keeps us psychologically
healthy, gives us energy, makes us happier, helps us to relieve stresses, opens
our minds to creativity, encourages kindness and makes us feel more
zestful!
Be
authentic.
Authenticity is a
juicy ingredient of zest! It means letting go of who you think you
are supposed to be and embracing who you are. So, get busy being you! Make
value-based decisions, care less about what people think, listen to your
intuition, do things that reflect your deepest needs, wishes, and values
and do not forget to speak up for yourself and ask for what you want.
Live
the Zesty Life.
Zest, along with gratitude, hope, curiosity and love are important
aspects of positive psychology and key to harvesting a beautiful character
development.
Zest can be applied to every aspect of your life and can bring out a positive change in your life. The effects of zest are contagious and the more you practice, the more zest you will attract.
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