Have fun

What the hell are you talking about having fun for? I’m a grown up

There’s a saying that if you’re too busy to meditate for 10 minutes, you need to meditate for an hour.

You can apply that to having fun as an adult, too.

I used to think having fun sounded really lame and something that really was not for me at all. 

I’m socially awkward, introverted and I like routine. Fun sounded like something I did with others and was loud and extroverted, which automatically made me tense.

But I have changed my mind recently and actually enjoy scheduling in a bit of fun.

Fun doesn’t have to be playing Twister or running around the streets maniacally laughing, it can be anything you decide that it is.

I’m too busy for fun

If you find yourself thinking that you’re too busy for fun, firstly, you need a reality check and an emergency injection of fun in your life.

Secondly, let’s look at why you might be poo-pooing the idea of fun before you’ve properly thought about it.

Chances are, you’re a pretty self aware woman if you’re reading this.

When you say ‘I’m too busy’, what you’re really saying is that The Thing you’re ‘too busy’ to do isn’t important enough to you to prioritise.

If you’re really, really honest with yourself I would put money on you actually having a tonne of spare time to have fun, you just don’t realise it.

Not convinced?

I’m too stressed to mess around and have fun

Then you NEED fun in your life. There’s not really any tactful way to say it.

Start small – look up some jokes online, or look through some old photos that captured a fun event or experiences.

I’m too old to mess around and have fun

If you think you’re too old to have fun then ask yourself why you think that.

It doesn’t even make sense.

There’s no age limit on fun, it’s a universal experience.

Think about those glorious memes you see of old ladies bent over double laughing, or Edith Eger, the Holocaust survivor who can still do the splits. 

Playing and having fun as an adult sounds cringey

It doesn’t have to be cringey – you’re probably thinking of a big, grand showy sort of a fun that’s really not your bag.

Fun can look like making a fancy cake just for the sake of it, or having a tickle fight with your kids (one of my favourites!), or playing a board game or quiz with your friends or family.

These may be more ‘reserved’ ways of having fun to some people, but your definition of fun is up to you and you alone, and these are great ways to start incorporating fun into your life.

Having fun is for children and people with more time and fewer responsibilities

Having fun isn’t restricted or out of reach for ANYONE.

Having fun doesn’t have to cost anything or take more than a few seconds. 

Everyone deserves and has the right to smile, feel at ease and let the present moment be enjoyable and all that’s on your mind.

Having fun helps calm your nervous system (you can’t be in fight, flight or freeze when you’re having fun), reduces physical tension and releases happy hormones. See the infographic below for more info on happy hormones.

I can’t have fun without alcohol

I 100% guarantee that you CAN have fun without alcohol, you just might not have tried it for a while.

Many people use alcohol to loosen inhibitions or to numb or forget about experiences or situations, but you don’t need alcohol to have fun – this is a limiting belief and it can be really damaging to your mindset and physical health if you drink more than a small amount occasionally.

You don’t need anything to be yourself apart from a little courage (actual courage not Dutch courage!).

The benefits of being courageous and perhaps stretching your comfort zone extend beyond the actions you take to have fun (for example, start singing along to a song).

Let’s take that example of singing along to a song. The act of singing could be the fun part, but there are a lot of other experiences that come along with it – connection with those around you, experiencing the present moment by focusing on the words and the tune, pure joy at letting the music consume you and the bravery of starting to sing in the first place!

See how there’s nothing in there that alcohol adds to make the situation richer or more enjoyable?

I’m an introvert and having fun sounds like an extrovert sort of a thing – not up my street

It doesn’t have to be. Some fun things you can do might be on your own or with your family.

Play a board game, play chase, play cards, kick a football around, play catch.

See, there are loads of super simple and low key fun activities you could right now, without having to go anywhere or spend any money.

Start small and find new, enjoyable activities and the more you do them, the more you’ll love the feelings and emotions you get from having fun.

OK I get it. How do I start having fun?

Just start!

Start big, or start small, just start.