10 Crazy Mad Ways to Feel Alive

There are a ton of ‘x ways to feel alive’ posts but most of them are boring. To liven it up I’ve come up with 10 mad alternatives, most of which you won’t have the courage to do. Except maybe number 3, but only because you’re already doing that, right?

To feel alive sometimes you have to let go of your fears and do things that you wouldn’t normally do. It works because it feels so different to the every day experience. But don’t do these things too often or they lose their magic.

Feel good about life by changing things up a little.

Get ready to feel the rush of adrenalin.

1. Grab a stinging nettle

Don’t just touch it. Grab it in your hand and roll it about. The stinging sensation abates after a while and you’ll be left with the warm irritation for a long time afterwards. Photo CC

 

2. Take a cold bath

Forget cold showers. Cold showers are for softies. Take an ice bath. It will take your breath away and you’ll feel amazing (and very very cold!).

 

3. Lose the underwear

It can be very liberating to go without your undies. Feeling the breeze around your undercarriage, just as nature intended, can be pretty enlivening. Just keep your hands where we can see them!

 

4. Run as fast as you can for as long as you can

Don’t deliberately go for a run. Try to spontaneously break into a run like you’re being chased by an insurance salesman on commission. When your lungs are bursting and you’re bent double struggling to take in air, you won’t care about anything but breathing. The essence of life, no?

 

5. Sing loud. Then sing louder

Pick a big song and go all out on it. This is best done alone so that you feel free to really let rip. It doesn’t matter that you’re tone deaf and tuneless because no one can hear (probably).

 

6. Wink at a stranger

People who wink are idiots, and knowing that, you’ll feel self-conscious doing it. Whether you’re rewarded with a smile or a disapproving frown, it doesn’t matter, both results should do the trick. Photo CC

 

7. Take a whiz in the woods

Be careful with this or you’ll end up in jail, but if you’ve never peed outdoors you haven’t lived.

 

8. Get slapped

Best you do it by consent rather than provoke a violent encounter. A slap in the chops has a way of focussing your attention on the here and now. Being hit sets in motion certain survival mechanisms and you should feel a rush.

 

9. Get a buzz cut

Every man should get a buzz cut at least once in their life even if you’ve got a horribly misshapen head like I have. Should women do this? Probably not. You won’t feel alive, you’ll just feel a sense of enormous grief.

 

10. Jump off the high board

Don’t dive. Jump. If you dive you’re liable do yourself a mischief.

The high board doesn’t look that high when you’re on the ground, but trust me, when you’re up there it’s plenty high. The free fall only lasts for 2 seconds but seems to last more like 10.

You feel out of control as you fly through the air and slightly anxious as you drop deep into the water, wondering if your descent will ever stop and experiencing mild panic as you scramble back to the surface. Photo CC

 

I’ve done all of them but the last one is my favourite. It’s something I’ve done only twice before which is why it retains its appeal.

What extraordinary things do you do to feel alive?