If you check for the meaning of pleasure in a dictionary, it will tell you that it is a feeling of happy satisfaction, and enjoyment. For many people, 2023 was stressful, combative, and extremely challenging. That is why you have to be intentional about finding a pleasure-filled 2024 because you deserve it!
Pleasure means different things to different people, but the problem is that we often seek pleasure in the wrong places, or try to find pleasure in things we don’t like because everyone else seems to enjoy it. When something brings you pleasure, the kind of joy you derive from that activity can sometimes look unreasonable to others around you.
The good news is that pleasure comes in different forms, and each form offers a unique experience that may work for me but may not be your cup of tea. The key is finding the things that make you happy. As long as you’re willing, there is something out there that will give you that feeling of happy satisfaction and enjoyment everyone deserves in their life.
Understanding the diverse range of pleasurable experiences will allow you to explore and embrace the richness of human experience. This then enables you to consciously cultivate and appreciate the moments that bring you joy and fulfilment.
So, in the spirit of maximising pleasure in 2024, we’re going to create a virtual pleasure box filled with things that bring us pleasure. Here are the different forms of pleasurable experiences that life has to offer. Go through the list, grab every one of them that works for you, and put them in your virtual pleasure box.
- Sensory Pleasure
Do you know the kind of pleasure that you feel when you bite into your favourite food? That’s sensory pleasure. Sensory pleasure is derived from the enjoyment of stimulating four out of our five senses; your sense of touch, taste, sound, and smell, and the immediate gratification you get from it. The pleasure you feel from a warm embrace, savouring the taste of a delicious meal, enjoying the fragrance of a beautiful flower, and the softness of a cosy blanket are all examples of sensory pleasure.
- Intellectual Pleasure
Intellectual Pleasure is pleasure derived from engaging in mentally stimulating activities. Examples are solving quizzes or puzzles, reading a good book, or indulging in deep conversations that expand your knowledge or understanding of the world and people in general.
- Creative Pleasure
The kind of joy and fulfilment that you feel from creating something unique from your imagination, or expressing yourself artistically, is creative pleasure. So, if creative activities like painting, writing, playing a musical instrument, and craft-making bring you immense joy, you need to add it to your pleasure box.
- Social Pleasure
Imagine a Social Butterfly always staying indoors and not getting much interaction with others. How are you going to find the pleasure you desire? Social pleasure is derived from positive interactions with others. Spending time with friends and family, attending and participating in social events, and forming meaningful connections are all ways that can bring fulfilment and happiness to social people.
- Adventure Pleasure
If you’re an adventurous person, this form of pleasure is your jam. You can experience adventure pleasure from engaging in thrilling and exciting activities. This includes extreme sports, going on adventurous trips, and trying new exhilarating activities that push your boundaries. If this sounds like something you enjoy, add it to your pleasure box.
- Aesthetic Pleasure
If you have a deep sense of appreciation for beauty and artistic qualities, this kind of pleasure is for you. Aesthetic pleasure can be experienced by appreciating beauty in different forms and goes beyond sensory pleasure. It is a more abstract and subjective experience and involves a deeper level of interpretation of art, which can be tied to personal or cultural preferences. Any form of creative expression that evokes an emotional or intellectual response like art, music, and literature gives aesthetic pleasure.
- Achievement Pleasure
If achievement pleasure is your cup of tea, this means that you derive a lot of pleasure from accomplishing goals and milestones. It doesn’t only refer to career achievements, succeeding in challenging tasks, or receiving recognition for your efforts. It can also include reaching personal milestones or simply completing your to-do list.
- Spiritual Pleasure
You can derive spiritual pleasure from connecting with something greater than yourself. This includes engaging in spiritual or religious practices like going to church or worshipping, practising mindfulness or meditation, and other activities that help you experience a deep sense of peace and harmony with the universe.
- Emotional Pleasure
Emotional pleasure is the kind of pleasure you experience through positive emotions like love, joy, and gratitude. Activities that evoke feelings of overwhelming sense of wonder and awe, and a sense of contentment and gratitude give you emotional pleasure.
- Physical Pleasure
Physical pleasure has been saved for last because it is the most popular type of pleasure. It can be experienced from activities that provide physical sensations of pleasure like sexual activities, relaxing massages, and dancing. Physical pleasure and sensory pleasure may seem similar, but they are not the same. While sensory pleasure focuses mainly on stimulating the senses, physical pleasure encompasses a wider range of bodily sensations and experiences including non-sensory experiences such as bodily movement, physical exertion, and sexual stimuli.
Now that you have your virtual pleasure box, make a list of all the types of pleasure that work for you, and the activities that you can pursue under each one. After that, you can create a monthly or weekly pleasure timetable to make sure you fulfill all your pleasure needs this year!
