Days tend to fill up as you get older: work demands grow alongside family responsibilities, and caring for your health and home becomes a higher priority. Simple pleasures quietly slip to the bottom of the list.
Happiness can boost resilience and improve emotional well-being, so treat it as an essential part of a healthy life. It doesn’t need to be grand or time-consuming; small, repeatable moments can make a real difference to your life as the years pass.
Reclaiming Joy in Everyday Moments
One of the most encouraging truths about joy is that it often hides in the ordinary. A quiet morning tea before the house wakes up, or listening to your favourite playlist while cooking dinner, aren’t extraordinary activities. Still, they offer comfort and grounding amid the stress of daily tasks.
Small rituals give the brain something positive to anticipate, which can help lift your mood and reduce stress. Even treating yourself to a few minutes of “simple pleasure” each day can act as an emotional reset. Many people now embrace romanticising their lives (finding charm in everyday routines) to reconnect with the beauty that already exists around them.
Scaled-Down Pleasure
One of the biggest myths about adulthood is that fun requires a lot of time or energy. In reality, what you love can stay part of your life; you may need to enjoy it on a different scale.
If you no longer have the free hours you once had for a long run, a quick jog around the local park can still give you that same uplifting buzz. Maybe you once spent weekends painting full canvases, but smaller sketchbooks or a limited set of supplies keep your creativity alive without overwhelming your work-from-home space or schedule.
Gardening is a perfect example of a pleasure that adapts beautifully with age. Even if you’ve downsized by moving into a flat or transitioned into assisted living, you can still enjoy growing things. Container gardening works in almost any situation, and crops like tomato plants grow happily on balconies and sunny windowsills. They offer a simple way to stay connected to nature and grow food from the comfort of your home. Lettuce is another staple that grows quickly and can be harvested as a “cut-and-come-again” crop, making it ideal for small containers and window boxes in flats.
Making Space for What Matters
Don’t hesitate to create intentional time for joyful activities. Treat them the same way you would an appointment or work deadline; block them out in your diary. Alternatively, you can use spontaneous free time before or after work. Even ten minutes a day can make a difference.
You can also make space by saying no to non-essential tasks or simplifying your to-do list. Try to delegate where possible to children or colleagues if you’re feeling overwhelmed by work and household chores. If time is tight, combine fun and exercise with daily activities: listen to an audiobook on your commute or arrange a phone catch-up during a gentle walk around your local green space. What was once dead time spent scrolling through social media and emails can become more rewarding and lift your spirits.
