71 Wholesome And Funny First Attempts

"When you engage in a new experience, no matter how small, there is an automatic release of dopamine in the brain," says Emma Palmer, a licensed clinical social worker based in Chicago, United States. "It also 'wakes up' the brain."

"Trying new things forces our brain to form new connections, which ultimately allows us to become more flexible in our thinking patterns (which can help later down the road when life throws us curveballs)."

According to Palmer, trying out new things also helps prevent cognitive decline and strengthens the part of the brain responsible for memory.

"Outside of these cognitive benefits, it also may help us discover something new about ourselves!" she adds. "Trying something new forces us to break out of routine, which may lead to a new discovery, promotes creativity, and overall personal fulfillment."

Depending on what you decide to do, trying something new can also lead to meeting new people, increased confidence, and maybe even moving your body in a different way to strengthen it, too.

"For me, it was a group Pilates class, and let's just say I discovered some muscles I didn’t even know existed afterward!" Palmer says.

So if there are so many benefits to it, why is trying something new so difficult?

"It is normal to feel like sticking with our 'day-to-day' routine is challenging enough, how can we even comprehend trying something new?" Palmer says. "It could also be fear or anxiety of trying something out of our comfort zone."

It is therefore important to remember that not everything we try will stick. There's nothing wrong with your first time being the only time. "It is completely okay to try something once, maybe realize it isn't for you, and move on to something else," Palmer adds.

If you want to try something new but don't know what, it's worth spending some time getting clear about what drives you, says clinical psychologist Dr. Juan Pablo Zapata of the Institute for Adolescent Mental Health and Well-Being at Northwestern University, United States.

Consider when you were happiest in the past few months and ask yourself:

1. What were you doing?
2. What things do you look forward to?
3. What were the experiences that made you feel fulfilled?
4. What do you want to do more or less of?
5. What do you want your relationships with yourself, partner, family, and friends to look like?

It's also often best to take it slow.

"With any new activity, it is important to keep it simple, break it into smaller pieces, do one thing at a time, use visual reminders or alarms, have an accountability partner, schedule activities at times when you are most likely to succeed, use self-compassion, anticipate setbacks, and reinforce and reward new and healthy behavior choices," Zapata explains.

In other words, make it manageable and set yourself up for success!