How to have fun!
Jun 23rd, 2009 by shifuxu
When people ask, “What do you do for fun?” Most of us have to think real quick because, What is fun?
Fun is:
* Relaxation, stress reduction
* Sense of humor, lightness
* A recess from the responsibilities of life
* Leisure time
* Recreational activities
* Hobbies
* Volunteer activities
* Sanity in the midst of severe emotional distress (and vice versa)
* Making time for yourself
* Athletic or physical exercise
What are some barriers to having fun?
* Poor time management
* Overly serious attitude, you can’t get out of this life alive, lighten up
* A lack of perspective regarding responsibilities
* Never had healthy role models for having fun
* Too busy, you know, all work and no play…..
* Lack of financial resources
* Irrational belief system
* Lack of permission from self, partner, family or others to take the time to have fun
* Lack of receptivity to fun activity
* Misconceptions about what fun is
What beliefs are barriers to having fun?
* It is selfish to indulge in personal, fun things.
* It takes away from family unity to indulge in individual, fun activities.
* One must maintain a serious outlook on life in order to survive.
* Athletics are just for “jocks.”
* You should never engage in anything work-like unless you are paid for it.
* Taking care of oneself is OK for the “other guy” but not for me.
* To have fun takes a lot of money. Only the rich have fun.
* Fun is illusive or unobtainable.
* The only fun things are immoral, illicit, illegal or fattening.
* Fun and play is bad if it becomes an end in itself.
* I feel so guilty when I’m doing nothing and just relaxing.
* The only real relaxation is sleep.
* I don’t have time for fun.
* Having fun at work or school is foolish, immature and irresponsible.
* I can’t relax when I have nothing to do.
* What will people think of me if they see me acting so unprofessional!
* It’s OK to have fun once in awhile, but you have to come back to reality.
* It is impossible to have fun when you are loaded down with all my responsibilities.
* A fun activity is such a waste of time!
* I’ll wait until I retire to enjoy myself.
* We can’t relax until we are financially secure.
* You have got to be crazy to enjoy that!
* One must be “serious” about one’s extracurricular activities to be a successful, to be a winner.
* How can I maintain my image of authority if I have fun with my children, co-workers, students, etc.
* It is impossible to coordinate everyone’s schedule so that we can have fun times together.
* The only way I can have fun is to be drinking, using drugs, gambling, eating, shopping, having sex, smoking or working.
What are some strategies to having fun?
* Nurture your sense of humor by looking at the light side of your serious concerns.
* Schedule time on a daily or weekly basis for fun, including: individual fun time, couple fun time, co-worker fun time, family fun time.
Determine which extracurricular activities are fun for the sake of:
* you
* health
* competition
* others
* work
* fun itself
Once you have made your list and determined to have fun, create a balance time-wise between these six types of fun:
* Try one new hobby, athletic activity or fun time experience per day, week, month or year.
* Budget a certain amount of money each week for fun activities.
* Use the weekend newspapers for tips on free fun things to do.
* Sleep until noon one day each year. You deserve it.
* Create a list of alternative fun things to do and post it on your bathroom mirror as a reminder.
* Create a notebook and record all funny jokes, quotes, quips and comments you have heard in a day.
Use the notebook as a reference to lighten up your serious discussions at home or work.
* Brainstorm fun activities you wouldn’t do ordinarily. Use your creativity, ingenuity and imagination in this task.
James J Messina, PhD