Day 15: What do you do for fun?

Yup.  I said it.  FUN.

What does that look like for you?

For me it can be a whole range of things. 
Game nights with friends,
Going dancing
Cuddling up with hubs and watching a movie
Playing World of Warcraft (classic!!)-yes I am that girl.
Harry Potter Trivia nights-with beer!
Moms night out for simply hanging and having wine while we connect.
Putt Putt with the kids-yes I actually enjoy spending time with them going out!
Bowling
Water Parks
Reading a good book
A hike on a nice 75 degree day
Painting
Karaoke
Hilarious YouTube nights with friends.

Make a little list of what is FUN.
F-ocus on purely enjoyable
U-unnecessary 
N-ights... or days.  No requirements here!

Fun isn't about making others happy, meeting anyones needs, focusing on something you need to work on, or even about your growth as a person.

It is purely for enjoyment.  To recharge your batteries.  Your JOY batteries.  Notice I did not say make you feel rested.  That's a WHOLE other post!

We spend so much time working on our homes, our relationships, our work, our dreams, and ourselves.  You have to leave room for play!  Kids struggle against the constant expectations we put on them because they are much more true to their inner voice.  The one who reminds them that life is for living, not getting through.  It's for wild laughter and genuine connections.  For exploring creativity and trying new things. Without any long term expectation. Let me explain a bit what I mean by that.

You know how you love doing something, then suddenly you're trying to make a business out of it? We do that to EVERYTHING (guilty af right here!).  Fun can totally be in your career, and you should strive to work in an area you love and enjoy.  But it is still work.  There are still expectations that come of it.  Be it income, deadlines, production, or accountabilities.  Fun is about IN THE MOMENT enjoyment. (Obviously, keep your morals in tact.  C'mon now) No future expectation of it leading somewhere.  You paint not because you want to up your skill so you can sell paintings or have it be "worth wasting the time on" but because you enjoy the heck out of creating it and watching it come to life.  You like sharing it with friends and seeing how different each persons creation is.  You sing karaoke not because you hope to be discovered, but because you love the music and love singing.

And let me be clear: You do NOT need to be "good" at anything to enjoy it!  You can be the worst painter in the world and still LOVE to paint.  Don't you let a soul stop you. Flat out.  I don't care if every person in the world says it's awful.  Did you feel good painting it? Does it make you happy? Then that is ALL that matters when it comes to fun activities.

Game night isn't about winning or being the smartest trivia player (yes I am competitive, why do you ask?), it's about laughing and testing each others wits and ....having fun.

How often should one have this "fun" I speak of?

Ideally, you'd do something fun every day.  But that isn't always possible.  A reasonable goal is once a week.  I'd aim for twice if you can! I can hear your gears going right now "*humph* I do not have that much time to waste on nothing important".

Here we go with the part no one likes to hear: Fun is crucially important and not a time waste.

It has actually been shown that our brains do BETTER when they get released from expectations and stress.  Our happy chemicals in our brain build up while our stress chemicals go down.  We are able to be more productive the day after a hedonistic time block (ok.. listen if you drink 9 margaritas and wake up with a hangover that's on you. Clearly that won't make you productive the next day.  Save that for a Saturday night.) 

 -To be clear: Hedonistic simply means "solely for your enjoyment or pleasure" so if you have certain resorts and activities come to your mind, you can rest assured that is NOT what I am referring to.  Unless you're into that.  Then by all means, your definition of fun can be a stay at Hedonism.  

No judging!-

When we are constantly engaged with typical "necessities" our creativity shuts down.  Our self esteem suffers.  Our work productivity goes down. And our relationships suffer.  Because there isn't time for good connection.  

So many people will say they don't have time.  But if you look at their phones, I bet they scrolled FB for an hour or two to unwind. *Pro tip: they have shown that actually doesn't unwind you.  It numbs you.  Big difference!  To actually unwind and burn off any lingering stress takes physical activity and engagement.  And yes, laughter and rolling dice count. 

We find time for what is important.  If someone told you next Thursday that Samuel L Jackson invited you to dinner, you would by heavens make that happen right? Or that you won free tickets to a concert you've been dying to see.  Or a friend you haven't seen in 6 years is in town.  You need to treat your need for enjoyment the same way.  Make the time for it.  It can be free, no cost at all.  You can find a myriad of ways to simply have fun.  

All in all, it's a pretty simple recipe for a healthy you:

Drink water.

Get sunlight.

Connect with others in peaceful meaningful ways

Cut out the drama.

Be creative in some fashion (heck working on cars can be creative!)

Get decent sleep

Eat decently

Have a job you don't loathe

and have fun.

Don't forget that last part.  Truly.  When you leave this world you won't wish you had stressed more. Or been more serious. Or worked more hours.  You'll wish you had more happy memories and more fun. In the words of Mimi from Rent: "There's only this ...Forget regret, or life is your's to miss.  No other path, no other way.  No day but today"