Research: Psychotherapist Philippa Perry explains why challenging yourself is a route to happiness. Spring is the perfect time to break out of our comfort zones.

Stimulations are the key to working on and ‘cleaning’ our lives. We can look for stimulation from within or from something external. We may feel refreshed by new sights, smells, and culture when exploring a new place. If we seek out these more exciting environments, it has the side-effect of enhancing our self-esteem and our immune system. A study was done on rats that showed they were able to withstand the effects of poison better in a stimulating environment versus a plain, familiar one.

Changes that make a positive difference in your life do not need to be drastic; they can be just small, fine-tuned adjustments. For example, something like cultivating a different variety of plant or learning a new word a day. Even when we make a very small difference to our routine or outlook, it make a significant impact on our feelings of well-being.

Here is an idea: get a large piece of plain paper and draw a circle in the middle. Fill the center of the circle with activities that you are comfortable doing. Around the circle, write down examples of activities that you could do to push yourself. Begin with this and in time, those outside activities will become part of your comfort zone with just a little effort. This way you can being expanding that circle and cleaning your life.

Motivational speaker Ed Foreman says, “If we always do what we’ve always done, then we’re going to get what we’ve always got.”

Find the original article at http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/mar/30/spring-clean-your-life