How can we regain a taste for life? We’d like to feel the intense joy of living, every day. Unfortunately, our lives are punctuated by ups and downs, some of which take our breath away. We feel lost and unable to find our way back to life. It is possible to regain a taste for life. Here are 7 tips to help you smile again.

1 – Regaining a taste for life: accepting that things aren’t going well

“For several months now, you’ve been allowing yourself to feel bad. It’s the only way to feel good.”

We don’t usually allow ourselves to feel bad, to feel strong emotions like sadness and anger. Yes, we tend to repress, to say to ourselves: I don’t have the time for that or the right to feel that way. We convince ourselves that we have everything we need to be happy, even when things go wrong, and we carry on as best we can.

What if we took the time to feel our malaise and question it: What’s going on? What’s important to me and my happiness?

Then we can finally make the decision: I want to get better. What do I have to do to get better?

To regain a taste for life, let’s allow ourselves to feel bad. We have every right to be sad and angry.

2 – Surround yourself well

“You’re surrounded by people who care about you, it’s the best antidote to sadness.”

Just because we allow ourselves to be sad or angry doesn’t mean we have to stay in our corner all the time. Quite the contrary, in fact.

Normally, we need other people to make us feel happy. Happiness is also found in our relationships. And when we’re not doing well, we need other people even more to make us feel better.

Let’s not close ourselves up like oysters on a rock, but open up. We can admit to those around us that we’re not doing so well, and ask them to be patient and kind towards us.

To regain a taste for life, let’s give ourselves the right to feel bad with family and friends… It’s the best way to get better.

“When we no longer have enough strength, we can draw it from others.”

3 – See the positive side of your misfortunes

“Only you can decide to take the positive out of every event. It’s the only thing you can really control.”

Even in the face of life’s ups and downs, we can see the positive. Yes, we can. A separation is a good time to get to know yourself better, to learn to live on your own, to see that you’re capable of doing so and, above all, to find someone who’s better suited to you today.

“You don’t have to fear misfortune. It’s at the height of your embrace that you appreciate positive things the most. When happiness is normal, you don’t notice it.”

It’s not easy to hear this at first, but if we keep repeating it, we’ll succeed in seeing the positive in our misfortunes.

Of course, it’s impossible to see the death of a loved one in a positive light… But the death of a loved one allows us to sort through our memories, to keep only those that are precious, and to realize that life is short and that the most important thing is our loved ones.

What’s more, we can also live with this certainty: I was so lucky to meet this person who is now gone. Thank you for this.

To regain a taste for life, let’s realize that we can take the positive out of any misfortune.

“You’re lucky to have lived through an ordeal. You’re now one of those who can see what’s essential.”

4 – Regaining a taste for life: don’t stop laughing just yet

“Apparently, laughter is like riding a bike: you never forget it.”

I like to repeat that it’s normal to be sad, angry or scared. What’s not normal is to stop living.

Yes, we have the right to be sad, but we can continue to laugh out loud. Yes, we can be afraid, but we can act with courage and kindness, even when we’re angry.

I’m not saying it’s easy, but it is possible.

We always have a choice! When we’re hit by life, let’s choose to keep laughing.

And the best way to remember to laugh is to surround ourselves with those closest to us, and then to detach ourselves from the gaze of others.

Yes, let’s shout out our joy of the moment. We’re not here to play a role, we exist to experience our emotions, whether sadness or joy.

“We’re big kids! Come on, we’re not going to stop having fun just because we’re getting old.”

5 – Not wanting people to be other than they are

“We’ve always known her that way and never seen her any other way. We even laughed about it.”

The greatest disappointment is not imposed on us by others. Disappointment is the clash between reality and the flights of our imagination.

Let’s stop harboring expectations of others and look at them as they are: with their qualities and their faults. Let’s not forget that everyone is a mixture of qualities and faults.

No one is perfect, not even us.

To regain a taste for life, let’s let people be who they are and be ourselves.

6 – Regain a taste for life: understand that you can’t control everything

“Take life as it comes! You can’t control everything. For all we know, we’re all going to get run over by a truck on the way out of here.” Le parfum du bonheur est plus fort sous la pluie by Virginie Grimaldi

Wonderful advice, isn’t it? A little hard-hitting, but so true. We take ourselves too seriously, don’t you agree.

We forget that life is a gift that can be taken away at any time without notice.

With stress, our lives go at 1,000 miles an hour and we forget to enjoy life. We invent all kinds of commitments and responsibilities.

What if we stopped and woke up every morning to realize how lucky we are?

To regain a taste for life, let’s stop taking ourselves so seriously and live life for what it is: a gift.

7 – Keep hope alive

“Just because it doesn’t end the way you want it to doesn’t mean it doesn’t end well.”

This is perhaps the most important piece of advice, what do you think? Always hope!

We are both masters of our destiny and subject to it. So let’s do the best we can and let things happen. Whatever happens, we’ll get through it!

We have an unlimited capacity to love. Let’s love what we’re experiencing at every moment, even if it’s not what we wanted, let’s love it!

Find out more:

I invite you to read these 2 complementary articles:

Discover Negative thoughts: 10 habits that changed my life
Discover Accepting life as it is: 4 steps to greater serenity

I recommend this inspiring book:

The Blue Zones of Happiness: Lessons From the World’s Happiest People by Dan Buettner

Dan Buettner’s The Blue Zones of Happiness explores the key factors contributing to happiness in the different regions of the world where people live longest and happiest. Buettner identifies what these communities have in common in terms of lifestyle, mindset and social ties. This book is a guide for anyone wishing to draw inspiration from the world’s happiest people and implement practices that lead to lasting happiness. By distilling the wisdom of these blue zones, we can discover valuable insights and practical strategies for cultivating happiness in their own lives.

I wish I’d read this book a few months earlier. I was struggling to help a friend achieve even a little happiness. After reading the book, what I should have told her and how I could have helped her now seem quite obvious to me. There are so many answers in this book. So many actions a person can take.

Thank you very much for reading this article.

If you liked it, let me know in the comments.

Take care of yourself