When was the last time you tried learning something new?

I'm trying something new right now by getting this website launched and viewable to the general public. Often times as humans, we get caught up in our routines. Going to our job, talking to relatively the same people, eating the food your body needs, engaging in hobbies, or taking time to just not engage in anything. We have so many options to fill our days in front of us that it is effortless to not try something new. We can safely and happily stick with what feels good and comfortable and familiar. Opening your mind to new sensations, experiences, and learning

has proven to be an incredibly powerful and beneficial tool for the human mind.

Interacting leads to better learning

Studies have started showing that taking the time to engage in learning something new can lower stress levels and help you combat things like burnout, exhaustion, and overwhelm. The article previously linked was written for the Harvard School of Business Review and applies the use of new learning in the work environment to lower worker stress levels. The mentality practices described by the articles authors can be used effectively beyond just a work scope and are reflective tools that I have personally utilized to also work on anxiety-based patterns that I go through.

Public school systems may not always be the proper catalyst for the best memories or experiences when it comes to learning new things, so when picking something new to focus on, lean into what calls to you. Perhaps something that has called to you in the past. Take your time and go through a process of really listening to yourself and allow your mind to do or think things in ways you may not normally throughout your everyday routine. This time can also be used to connect you with your inner child to adventure in to things you never got to explore but were always curious about when you heard adults talking about it. Maybe you always wanted to try tie-dying as a kid but never got the chance because your parents didn't want the mess. If nothing pops in to your mind immediately, try picturing a time in your life when you were somewhere that you found so awesome and cool, the memories make you pumped to this day. It engaged all of your sense, made you feel flooded with positive feelings, and like you could do anything. What were you doing? How do you wish you were able to interact with the memory? What would you want to have been doing there if you had the skills?

As a young girl, I remember going to the rollerskate rink for birthday parties and seeing all the cool grown-ups who could skate backwards, weave seamlessly in between other rollers. I would hear tales from my badass roller derby aunts who all filled me with the need to be a speedy skater. So, just the other day, I bought these babies.

Rainbow pastel quad skates from Impala <3

So now I am one step closer to learning the skill young Angelina thought about learning every time Janis Joplin came on (check out her version of the Rollerskate Song if you have not heard it before!) I don't push myself to strap them and the pads on every day for at least an hour to skate around until I've fallen enough that I have the spots to be a Dalmatian. Small steps are the easiest ones to take and generally the ones that lead to consistency. So when I catch myself feeling bored, too stuck in my head or the pull calling me outside, I glance at my skates and remember that I can always choose to work on learning a new skill.

Learning has been viewed under multiple research lenses at the Institute of Education in London which has been handily summed up here in a release of their research findings. Looking at the ways learning at all ages can affect different aspects of our lives from the personal, social, and societal perspectives is fascinating. Seeing it broken down into categories really made me realize just how much our lives are truly affected and created by our own thoughts and actions. Our minds are constantly working no matter what we are doing with them, you just have to actively choose what your mind is working on and it can influence so much. Their studies posit that depression would drop in females who received higher levels of education. This could be attributed to a long list of causes and effects that benefit a person who has had the opportunity to lean into learning. It is also implies that their research has shown that increased education in adults can lead to increased racial tolerance by about 75% compared to other adults. A fitting quote from Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre:

Prejudices, it is well known, are most difficult to eradicate from the heart whose soil has never been loosened or fertilised by education: they grow there, firm as weeds among stones.”

Learning leads to so many wonderful things in us as humans. The expansion of our mind, our understanding of the world we are a part of and, possibly most importantly, our understanding of ourselves. One of the most crucial things we can learn about is ourselves. What we like and don't like, how we react to certain situations, how things make us feel and why. Don't you think these are all important things one should know about themselves? Do you think you have learned enough about yourself that you can move on to learning bigger and better things?

What would you like to learn about? What inspires you and makes your mind race with questions and thoughts that get your body buzzing with excitement? Seek out the things in life that make your mind and heart race in the best ways. I bet you will say that you had a life well lived filled with love, learning and laughter that you never tired of living because you were always inspired.