07Apr

Girls and Boys Just Wanna Have Fun—The Personal Side

My good friend who is in her early forties just shared with me about a recent night out she had that involved quite a bit of fun. She, her husband and a few other couples made dinner reservations at their favorite restaurant for a Saturday night like they usually do at least once a month. The fun part is that an hour before that dinner reservation they all drove to an indoor trampoline park. They took off their shoes, tied back their hair and 4 couples jumped and laughed and carried on like little kids as they tried to literally bounce off walls. My friend said it was a great stress reliever and that she had not laughed that hard in months.

Another friend of mine schedules in a different kind of fun. He grew up in South Florida and spent every summer fishing and scuba diving. He tells me that when he is on or under the water he experiences peace, perspective (of what is really important in life) and an adventurous kind of fun he finds nowhere else. Both of my friends realize that fun is more than just having a good time. It is an essential way they cope with the stresses of life, let go and lean into the present moment. These moments of fun force them into the present and all the potential happiness that lies there without worry about the future or regret about the past.

So how about you? Do you regularly have fun? What does fun look like in your life? How we have fun can look very different depending on our life season. But, I believe there is always fun to be had. If you are struggling to identify what you find fun it may help to remember the last time you had fun. What were you doing? Who was there? Or wasn’t there? Or, think back to your childhood. What did you enjoy doing before you had to “adult” every day? Did you scuba dive like my friend? Or maybe you really enjoyed reading or bike riding. Think about what you could do for an hour, a day or an afternoon if you had zero responsibilities.

The second part of this experiment is, once you have identified what you would like to do, you MUST schedule it. Even if it involves no cost or travel—like reading for 30 minutes—plan it. Put it in your phone calendar or write it down. Make it a commitment, a priority. Because chances are if you don’t, it will never happen. Having fun may sound childish at first, but it really is a form of self-care. Just like we make healthy eating and exercise priorities, having fun should be part of our schedule too.

Are you facing stressors right now that make it hard for you to care for yourself or have fun? Are you dealing with depression or just feeling overwhelmed? An Orlando psychotherapist can help you identify what life changes you need to make and help you start your path to healing today. Please contact Life Enhancement Counseling Services today at 407-443-8862 to schedule an appointment with one of our experienced clinicians.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Yolanda Brailey