Life is hard sometimes. We work, attend school, home repairs, shopping, shuttle children, go to the gym, clean the toilet, attend community meetings and repeat it all again tomorrow. Without conscious effort, life can become an endless to do list that we are simultaneously checking off and expanding.
What we need is a little bit of fun!
Fun: noun
1 : someone or something that provides amusement or enjoyment <the twins were fun to have around> <picnics are great fun>
2 : a good time : AMUSEMENT, ENJOYMENT <have fun> <plays cards just for fun>*
Imagine that you are cooking dinner day after day and the only seasonings you have are salt and pepper. Not bad, but kind of boring. Then one night you open up the cupboard and there is a small jar of curry powder. Wowza! Dinner has just become much more interesting.
“The opposite of play is not work it is depression.” ~ Brian Sutton-Smith, The National Institute for Play
Adding a bit of fun into your day is a simple way to boost mood and energy. The science backs me up here. The sillier it feels, the more it boosts mood.
- Sing in the shower or in your car.
Hit play on your favorite playlist and belt it out with the music. Are you “All About the Bass?” Or do you want to “Whip it, Whip it good?”
- Color
Adult coloring books are all the rage right now. You can pick them up at your local bookstore or local discount store. Tuck one in your tote and pull it out when you have a few minutes between appointments or during your lunch break. Keep colored pens in your bag and use them to take notes rather than the standard blue or black. A reminder to call the doctor is more interesting in lime green.
- Dance Around
On hold with the cable company? Dance. Blow drying your hair in the morning? Dance. Can’t sit still any longer? Dance. Take a dance class at your local community center. Classes range from Hip Hop to ballet to belly dance. Get moving.
- Learn Something New
Try out a free app like Duolingo and learn Norwegian or Swahili or Klingon. Take a music class and learn to play the ukulele or the trumpet.
- Write
Make up a story and write it down. Make it as crazy and unpredictable as you can.
- Smile More
Smile at yourself in the mirror. Smile at the person you pass on the street when you go to get a cup of coffee. Smile at the grocery store clerk, the bank teller, the person in the car next to you at the light. The average adult smiles 15 or fewer times per day. How many times can you smile?
- Embrace Your Quirks
Is there something that others point out to you as, well, a little bit different? Embrace it. Love pine cones? Keep a small basket of pine cones in your reading area or your office. Love purple? Wear it every Monday. (PS: This is one of my quirks!) Love travel? Frame and hang a map from your favorite trip above your desk.
I’m always looking for more ways to incorporate fun into my life and the life of my clients. Do you have a favorite fun manifesting activity? Let me know in the comments below.
* Definition from: http://www.wordcentral.com/cgi-bin/student?book=Student&va=fun