We are all guilty of this...

Taking life for granted.

I think we're probably all guilty of taking things for granted sometimes.

Our health. Our bodies. The people around us. Our homes. Our routines. Even our lives.

Not intentionally. We just get used to them.

We wake up, get dressed, go to work, sort the kids, answer the emails, make dinner, tidy up, go to bed and do it all again tomorrow. And somewhere amongst all of that, life can become something we're simply getting through rather than something we're actually experiencing.

I don't think that's because we're ungrateful.

I think it's because we're human.

We naturally become accustomed to what's familiar. Even things we once desperately wanted can eventually become part of the background.

The job you hoped you'd get.

The home you couldn't wait to move into.

The body that carries you around every single day.

The ability to walk, move, laugh, think, hug someone, make plans and change your mind.

We don't wake up every morning amazed by these things. And realistically, I don't think any of us are going to.

But every now and then, perhaps it's worth noticing them.

When familiar isn't necessarily good

There's another side to familiarity too.

Sometimes we stay with things that aren't making us particularly happy simply because they're what we know.

We plod on.

Perhaps something doesn't feel quite right, but changing it feels uncomfortable. So we tell ourselves it's fine.

We stay in routines we've outgrown. We continue behaviours that don't make us feel good. We ignore what our bodies are telling us. We promise ourselves we'll do something about it eventually.

Because familiar feels safe.

Even when familiar isn't necessarily making us happy.

Of course, I'm not suggesting we can simply change everything we don't like about our lives.

There are bills to pay, responsibilities to meet and people who rely on us.

Sometimes we really do just have to crack on.

But perhaps there's a difference between accepting the parts of life we can't change and becoming passive about everything else.

Because there are usually little things we can influence.

And I think that's where we sometimes underestimate our own power.

What if we paid a little more attention?

When it comes to our health especially, it's incredibly easy to take our bodies for granted.

We expect them to keep going.

We sit for hours and wonder why our backs hurt.

We run around exhausted and get frustrated when we don't have the energy to exercise.

We stay up scrolling and then get annoyed with ourselves for feeling tired the next morning.

We ignore the little niggles, the tension, the stress and the signals asking us to slow down.

Again, not because we don't care.

Life gets busy.

But what if looking after ourselves wasn't another thing we had to achieve?

What if it was simply a way of showing a little appreciation for the body and mind that are carrying us through all of this?

Being kinder doesn't mean letting yourself off the hook

I think we sometimes misunderstand what being kind to ourselves means.

It doesn't always mean choosing the easiest option.

Sometimes kindness is getting yourself out for a walk when you'd rather stay on the sofa.

Sometimes it's going to bed rather than watching another episode.

Sometimes it's making the appointment you've been putting off.

Sometimes it's admitting that something in your life isn't working anymore.

And sometimes it really is saying, I've had enough today. I'm going to rest.

The more we understand ourselves, the easier it becomes to recognise the difference.

We stop blindly following what we think we should do and start paying attention to what we actually need.

Perhaps that's what mindfulness can look like in real life.

Not necessarily meditation or sitting quietly with your eyes closed.

Just paying attention.

To how you're feeling.

To what you're doing.

To the choices you're making automatically.

And occasionally asking yourself, Is this helping me?

A little more purpose

I don't want to spend my life trying to optimise every part of it.

That sounds exhausting.

I don't want every meal to be perfect, every day to be productive or every choice to be the healthiest possible one.

I want meals out, lazy mornings, spontaneous plans and days when absolutely nothing goes to plan.

But I also don't want to sleepwalk through the years assuming I'll always have another chance to look after myself.

There's probably a middle ground.

A life where we still crack on with the mundane stuff, but notice the good bits a little more.

Where we appreciate what our bodies can do while also taking better care of them.

Where we accept that life won't always feel exciting, but don't automatically settle for things that consistently make us unhappy.

Where we stop waiting for some future version of ourselves to start living differently.

Perhaps we don't need to completely change our lives.

Maybe we just need to be a little more present in the one we've already got.

Final Thoughts

There will always be things we take for granted. I don't think the answer is to feel guilty about that either.

But every now and then, I think it's worth checking in.

What in my life have I stopped noticing simply because it's always there?

Your body?

Your health?

Someone you love?

Something you've achieved?

Or perhaps even the choices you still have available to you?

You don't have to overhaul your life because of the answer.

Maybe you simply appreciate something a little more.

Maybe you take one small action that your future self will thank you for.

Maybe you change something you've known for a while needs changing.

Because being grateful for the life we have doesn't mean we have to accept everything exactly as it is.

Perhaps it simply means caring enough about it to be a little more intentional with what we do next.

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realise they were the big things.”

— Robert Brault

If this post resonated...

You don't need to completely change your life to start appreciating and looking after it a little more.

Sometimes it starts by simply paying attention. Noticing how you feel, recognising the things you've been taking for granted and becoming a little more mindful of the choices you make each day.

Imagine how different life could feel if you stopped running on autopilot quite so often and started making small, intentional choices that supported your body, your mind and the life you already have.

I've got your back

Kirsty x