Find the fun in your day
1/23/2025
Remember when a cardboard box was more than just a box? It was a rocket ship you could use to fly to the moon or a boat to travel across the ocean. Children have an amazing ability to live in the present. Worries, fears and doubts don't inhibit their confidence and creativity. They embrace the situation and find it fun.
As adults, we don't always have time to have big fun moments, so try to embrace play, pleasure and laughter in everyday activities.
Seek out laughter in your life. Watch a funny video your friend posted on social media or tell jokes with friends or family — encourage and get involved in situations that induce laughter and lightheartedness. The fun will start to find you.
Learn to laugh at yourself. Sometimes, life doesn't go as planned — you send a text message, and auto-correct puts a wrong word in. Look for the humor in the randomness and irony of life. Allow yourself to have a good chuckle, pick yourself up and move on with life. People who laugh at themselves are more cheerful, optimistic and resilient.
Enjoy the little things. Don't have time for lunch, so you grab a chocolate candy bar? Sit for just five minutes and enjoy the flavor. Give yourself "unwind" time by taking 5- to 10-minute breaks from life.
Be spontaneous. Not everything needs to be planned. Take advantage of the spur-of-the-moment getaway, last-minute family gathering or party.
Seek out and try new things. Jump out of your comfort zone and try something new — that salsa dance class your co-worker invited you to might be just the thing to relax you!
Look for ways to make work fun. Let's face it, many of us spend more time at work than we do at home (awake) and with our families. Bond with your co-workers, even if you work remotely! Set up a once-weekly coffee club — 15 minutes max, and no work talk is allowed; decorate your workspace to brighten your day, or create a cookie club where a different person brings cookies for the group each week. Take a break and do a quick lap around the block with a team member.
Switch up your routine. Drive a different route to work. Jump off the bus six blocks from your destination and spend time looking at the scenery.
Practice mindfulness. Spend two minutes each morning noticing your breathing. Focus on the things around you—sights, smells, tastes, feelings, etc. Add this tactic throughout your day to give yourself those quick breaks.
Change your mindset. Do you feel like everything goes wrong? Is it always your fault? Are you bored with your job? Try to look at the positive things you have in life. Change your thinking from "the glass is half empty" to "the glass is half full."
Block out time to play. Choose something you consider "pure fun" and schedule it into your week. Bring others with you to join the fun—or ask to attend their planned events.