Journey to the Zest

Here's a question: What comes to your mind when you read the word, "Zest"? When taken at face value, the term simply seems to be a synonym for enthusiasm. But the term has acquired a much more refined definition in the circles of positive psychology, and you have every reason to be zestful about it. Too corny? Okay, let's move on.

Zest may be described as the virtue of living life with thrill and excitement. It is a mark of an individual's character that possesses the aspects of motivation, adventurousness, and strong coping mechanisms to allow one to navigate through the hardships of life. People who can harness this zest are more likely to have a higher life-satisfaction and grateful about their daily lives and are considered to be more able to develop a positive mindset and stay optimistic even while experiencing struggle. Essentially, practicing zest allows you to become like one of those happy and attractive actors you see on fifteen second fashion or web developer ads right before you skip them. 

The reason why many of us are drawn to such a concept is because many of us lead lives where we experience the nemesis of zest, the all too familiar burnout. This state of psychological and physiological exhaustion with our work often urges us to seek out habits and tips online to gain a healthier state of mind, energy to enjoy ourselves in our leisure without being plagued with worry of assignments or projects, and just discover some solution to reintroduce the passion for our existence that we had in our happy-go-lucky past. Now, there's no magic pill that objectively restores your vitality and faith in humanity, but positive psychology does offer some suggestions that can allow you to recover the spark that you wish to feel in your mind whenever you encounter something that you really want to appreciate.

Celebrate small victories. Here's something that is easy for most of us to get behind. While not true of everyone, most of us tend to allow our burdens to rest heavily on our minds and don't give ourselves enough credit when we receive news of a job well done. This is something that could rationally neutralise the aforementioned negativity.

Develop SMART goals. While it's important to let your hair down when you need to relax, your zest should also be employed in your domain of work as well. SMART here is an abbreviation of specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. When your goals are within sight and there's an action plan in place to make progress, channeling your zest is much more effective.

Implement the "As if" technique. If you've had a chance to check out some of my previous posts, you'd be familiar with the idea of behaviour influencing thought. Employing the same concept, taking part in activities that make you feel high-spirited and increasing your appreciation for your life would naturally make you feel more zestful. 

It's true that some of the emotional states of mind that we read about cannot be easily quantified and can seem vague, but drawing on what we read and incorporating aspects of them in our routine by trial and error could influence our mindset and make us perceive our lives differently. There's no harm done if they aren't effective for you, so you might as well give them a shot! 

Check out https://positivepsychology.com/zest/ for more information regarding this concept!

- Nikhil