How often do you dream of luxuriating on a beach in Mexico with your spouse while being served refreshing rum-laced fruity drinks? Or a family reunion by the lake with kids laughing and playing (safely) on paddle boards nearby? Even a day spent hiking and a picnic can be immensely rewarding.
Summer is the time to dream of beautiful getaways and wonderful, relaxing experiences. But how often do we actually fulfill these aspirations? If you are like most people, the answer is rarely. There are dozens of reasons why.
- Trips are costly.
- It is hard to get time off of work.
- Collaborating with friends and family can be difficult because of conflicting schedules.
- And, isn’t daydreaming downright irresponsible?
No matter how busy you are with your day-to-day routine, the desire to do something new and exciting doesn’t go away. Yet, for some reason we choose to stay stuck in our boring day-to-day lives, avoiding novelty and adventure. WHY?
The Paseo Club is a social club in the Santa Clarita Valley that has supported the community in health and fitness for twenty years. The club offers fitness, tennis, pickleball, swimming, and many social activities throughout the year.
In this article, you will learn why we fall into ruts, why doing new things helps you feel better, how to get motivated to try new things, and why participating in the Paseo Olympics is a great way to enjoy a new and exciting event in your community.
Are you in a rut?
No matter where you live, you probably visit the same few restaurants, do the same social activities, and even have many of the same feelings. All The Time.
It is easy to follow a repetitive routine. It is predictable, familiar, and usually satisfactory — enough. Even someone as powerful and intelligent as Barack Obama had a closet full of the same suits to avoid choosing what clothing to wear in the morning.
Research shows that people fear an unknown outcome more than a known bad outcome. Novelty can be scary.
Nick Chater, a professor of behavioral science at Warwick Business School at the University of Warwick states, “For the vast majority of us, routine helps us cope with the continual flow of decisions that face us in everyday life. But when taken to excess, a routine can be a prison....”
Why you need to break out of your routine - 5 benefits
Although routines can help simplify your life, too much routine can be limiting and create rigidity. Repetitive patterns lock people into uncompromising patterns of thinking and behaving. Plus, it can be extremely boring.
When we try new things we experience improved mental/emotional well-being. There are several benefits.
1. More positive emotions
“Studies suggest that people who engage in a variety of new experiences are more likely to retain positive emotions and minimize negative ones,” says Juan Pablo Zapata, clinical psychology resident in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at UW School of Medicine.
Novelty triggers a dopamine response, which makes us feel good and rewarded.
2. Builds new neural pathways
When you try something new, you feel a sense of accomplishment. This feeling of bravery for getting out of your comfort zone, plus the enjoyment of the actual new activity, creates new neural connections in your brain. These connections help you to feel more confident in trying new things in the future.
3. Enhances a sense of purpose
New experiences can show you new sides of yourself — and others. Perhaps you decided to volunteer at a local food bank and realized how rewarding it is to get to know new people in your community. Now your purpose is to grow your relationships in your town. Another example is joining a painting class. You may have been nervous, having never painted before. But you found purpose in expressing yourself creatively.
4. Brings you more joy - potentially
Although new things can lead to unpleasant experiences — you hated learning to bake bread in lockdown, knitting is tedious, and HIIT class was more exhausting than exhilarating — it has the possibility of more joy.
New hobbies, relationships, and even careers have blossomed because of someone stepping out of their comfort zone.
5. Reduced stress, anxiety, and depression
Doing something new can initially feel intimidating. But once you summon the courage to try a new activity, it usually reduces the common mental health issues of stress, anxiety, and depression. Scientists have concluded that novelty is essential for life satisfaction and fulfillment.
How to try new things
Your dream of getting out of Dodge and chillaxing on the Mexican beach is a great plan. But if your work demands/budget/childcare don’t support this dream, do not despair!
You do not need to escape your home to reap the above benefits. Research shows that simply shaking up your routine stops habituation. Habituation, according to self-help speaker Mel Robbins, is “basically killing you.”
Do you have a never-been-there-never-done-that list, as suggested by Robbins?
If not, now is the time to open yourself to trying unfamiliar things. Here is how to do it.
Identify the hidden gems in your own backyard that you have never visited. Check out a new local museum, art gallery, cafe, restaurant, historical site, place of natural beauty, park, swimming hole, bar, or theater.
Meet new people by volunteering, talking to proprietors or employees at shops, or joining a sports league.
Try a new activity such as jogging, scuba diving, yoga, or whatever else sounds just a wee bit interesting.
Challenge yourself to learn something new — risking complete and total failure. As adults, we tend to avoid putting ourselves in situations where we look awkward or clumsy. Consider taking classes in art, music, woodworking, cooking, handwork, welding, writing, or another creative pursuit.
Make a goal for what you want to do once you write your list. This will help you select the activities that are most interesting to you, and choose when and how you will do it. Goal setting will interrupt your familiar routine and get you out of your rut.
Misery loves company, so if you are feeling scared/nervous/insecure about doing something new, have a friend join you. Having a familiar person by your side as you do something unfamiliar can be immensely supportive.
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Paseo Club is your novel destination
The Paseo Club is a great place when you are looking for something fresh and exciting to do. There are over 60 fitness classes available each week, plus tennis and pickleball drills. You can choose from strength training, yoga, cycling, Pilates, barre, weight lifting, and so much more. Your workouts will never be stagnant at the Paseo Club.
The Paseo Club has dozens of new activities and events every season. Some popular choices are Karaoke Night, Dive In Movie Night, and tennis or pickleball tournaments.
You can complete all four steps to trying something new when you become a member of the Paseo Club.
- Go to a new place. (Paseo Club)
- Meet new people. (Members, staff, and instructors)
- Try a new activity. (Join a small group class or meet with an instructor for personal training)
- Learn something new. (Try a pickleball starter class or dance your booty off at Zumba)
If you are excited about making changes in your life, sign up for the Paseo Olympics. The Paseo Olympics is a five-day event from Wednesday, July 24 through Sunday, July 28. It includes social, aquatic, tennis, pickleball, and fitness activities. Best of all, it’s FREE!
Sign up to join the Paseo Olympics! You can secure your spot, learn what events will be featured, and win prizes.
If you are not yet a member, you can become one by joining the club online. The process takes just a few minutes and your membership begins immediately. The Paseo Club is your home away from home. Become a member today.
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