ZEST

 

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.

As usual, we remind you to take your Memo Plus Gold daily. It will help to keep you alert and mentally sharp. For more information or to order for the Memo Plus Gold, please visit : https://oze.my.