09/23/2026
Feeling depressed, anxious, or bored? Looking for new friends? Coping with loss, healing from a breakup, or searching for your life’s purpose? Look for solutions to these disparate problems and you’re likely to see one suggestion appear again and again: Try something new.
There’s good reason for this. Psychology and neuroscience both make it clear that novel experiences help us stay sharp, adapt to change, manage stress, connect with others—the list goes on. The human brain is a dynamic, powerful organ, primed to respond to novelty; indeed, regular exposure to new things is a known driver of neuroplasticity, the brain’s capacity to grow and evolve over the lifespan.
But starting something totally new, even if it’s ultimately rewarding, is often easier said than done. Being a beginner usually means making mistakes, asking dumb questions, even failing outright—all big asks in a culture that venerates wunderkinds and overnight success stories. And that’s to say nothing of the time, energy, and patience that most new endeavors require but that many of us struggle to maintain.
These challenges aren’t insubstantial, but they’re often much more easily conquered than we fear—especially if we do our best to embrace the uncertainty and treat setbacks and false starts as useful data rather than personal failings.
If you’re ready to leave your comfort zone and finally pick up whatever you’ve been putting off, start here—by reading "Fresh Starts," one of the latest cover stories for Psychology Today. You'll find the link in the comments below.
