Finding Meaning in Life is Easier Than You Think: Part I
Making Meaning Manageable
Meaning in life is highly connected to your ability to respond to stress and trauma. In fact, living a life that feels meaningful or purposeful may be one of the most important aspects of resilience. Unfortunately, the path towards meaning can feel overwhelming and we can often feel unmoored by big questions about what to do or who to be. So before you stop reading out of fear that you don’t have time in your schedule to both read this and then have an existential crisis, please know we’re starting small. I will zoom way in and make this complicated process feel more manageable.
In this three-part series, I will break down the science of meaning and provide actionable steps towards cultivating a life that is driven by a rich sense of purpose.
In the last decade, the field of psychology has seen significant strides in providing clarity about what meaning in life means. Researchers now agree on three distinct domains of meaning in life that are associated with past, present and future. These three domains are: coherence (past), significance (present), and purpose (future). Today’s post will dive into significance, since there’s no time like the present.
What is “Significance”?
Significance represents the inherent sense that life matters and your existence is of value, worth, and importance. This experience of significance is how you see life as worth living, not other people’s ideas of what makes life meaningful. People may find sources of significance in many places, such as work, relationships, religion, creative pursuits, or spirituality.
Not sure where to start? Start by connecting to the present moment. The more deeply and clearly you can connect to your mind and body, the more accurately you can sense how much something matters to you.
Getting Present
Take a moment to pause reading this post and do a five senses check in:
Look around and name five things you can see.
Close your eyes and focus on four things you can hear.
Touch three things nearby and focus on their textures.
Breathe deeply and focus on two things you can smell.
And, if possible, is there one thing you can taste?
Ideas to continue flexing your present moment awareness muscle:
Set a daily timer to remind yourself to pause and do a five senses check in.
Start and/or end each day with a brief guided breathing exercise.
Choose one task you usually engage in mindlessly and spend 60 seconds being fully present.
Practice mindfully eating or drinking your favorite food or beverage. Take 30 seconds to savor and imagine how you’d describe the experience to someone who had never had that food/drink.
Pick a color and look around the room, finding everything you can in that color.
Connecting To What Matters
To clarify what matters most to you, ask yourself questions like:
What are my most important values?
If I could spend a day doing anything, what would I choose?
What activities and relationships matter most to me?
What helps me feel connected to my favorite version of myself?
When do I feel most present?
As you go through these questions, notice any “shoulds” or the desire for your answers to be “correct.”
The answers to these questions will naturally change as you change, so revisiting these questions over time can be a good way to re-orient our meaning-makingcompass. So, instead of focusing on figuring out the “right” answers, focus on what answers resonate “right now.”
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), one of the primary modalities our Center’s clinicians utilize, has a number of specific practices and exercises to help you build a sense of significance. Clarifying personal values is a one core component of building psychological flexibility and can serve as a helpful anchor during difficult life moments.
Small Steps
Seeking purpose and meaning in life can oftentimes feel more of a source of stress than an anchor, especially in a world that often feels like it’s on fire. However, there are endless opportunities to anchor into the present and build a meaningful future.
Begin strengthening your present moment awareness and exploring questions related to significance this week. It will give you a strong foundation to move into the next two domains of meaning in life, which will be explored in Parts 2 and 3.
What is one small step you can take this week that connects you to significance? What is one manageable way you can anchor into meaningful moments in the present?