Some people make a distinction between activities that bring pleasure and activities that give a sense of accomplishment. Some activities are performed for pure pleasure such as going to a movie, taking a bubble bath, wiggling toes in the sand or basking in the sun. Other activities aren’t so pleasant to do but when you finish them you feel good because you get a sense of accomplishment or control over a situation.
For example, cleaning the kitchen floor or tidying up a closet may not be exactly “fun,” but you can feel “good” or “better” after having done a small job because you can feel like you have accomplished something.
Over the next several weeks we are going to ask you to do some experimenting by doing things that may provide a sense of pleasure or accomplishment. Again, all we ask is that you try it and see what happens.
If you’re having some trouble coming up with some activities that will give you a sense of accomplishment, here’s some suggestions to get you started:
- going to the gym
- helping your kids with their homework
- donating some time to charity
- going to the dentist
- getting up early
Let us know what you do to feel a sense of accomplishment.
