Earlier I wrote a post Do you have a fun plan?
I just re-read through my original post. I hate to admit this, but this may be one of those times where I haven’t been taking my own advice.
I haven’t been having enough fun lately.
I mean side-splitting, laugh out loud fun. Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t been completely dull and boring either, I have been enjoying myself.
Just not enough.
Here are some tips, if you find yourself in a similar situation.
Don’t become a hermit
My friends are starting to call me a hermit. Not a good sign.
Writers/bloggers tend to be solitary creatures. We spend a lot of time working on our own, particularly if we work from home.
Whether you are a writer or not you might be spending too much alone.
I’m a person who enjoys their own company and has no problem being alone. Yet even I realize there are times when too much alone time, can be too much.
Related post – How to Cope with Feelings of Loneliness
Connect with people
The best way to connect with someone is to meet them face to face.
But let’s face it that is not always possible, our friends have busy lives. They are not always available on tap.
Next best option. Phone a friend. Sit down and have a good laugh and a chat.
The next option is online, though if you are someone like me who spends a lot of time online for work, I would advise shutting off the laptop and meeting up with your friends in person.
Related post – Do You Need to Connect with Old Friends?
Connect with nature
It’s not just people we can connect with to enjoy ourselves. Connecting with nature can bring about feelings of fun, exhilaration, serenity, and peace.
Whether it’s bush walking, rock climbing, admiring the beauty of nature and the amazing animals around us or simply reading a good book in the shade of a beautiful tree.
Be inspired and uplifted by nature at its finest.
Related post – Look For the Beauty in Life
Understand that fun means different things to different people
One person’s version of fun might be another person’s version of utter boredom.
Make sure you know what your version of fun is. Though trying different things is great, don’t get dragged into someone else’s fun house if you know you will have a miserable time.
Related post – How to Lighten Up – 25 Tips for More Fun, Play and Relaxation
Embrace comedy
We all love a good movie, television show, or comedian that makes us laugh.
Yesterday I was laughing my head off to a scene in Supernatural Season Seven. Yes Supernatural, the series more likely to scare the hell out of some folks. It also has some hilariously funny scenes.
Embrace whatever your version of comedy is and laugh like there is no tomorrow.
Related post – How to Laugh More
Get active
Get that body moving. Whether it’s dancing around the house to high-energy music, heading out dancing with girlfriends, walking along a beach, attending a Zumba class, or joining some sort of sporting club – get that body moving.
As well as having a ball, it will be good for your health.
Do something that makes you happy
There is a pretty good chance that if you are doing something that makes you happy, there will be a lot of fun involved. Go for it.
Related post – 20 Inspiring Happiness Quotes
Hang around fun people
If you need more fun in your life, there is nothing like hanging around fun or like-minded people.
If you are a creative type, hang out with your other creative friends. Similarly, if you are an active person.
Unfortunately, we all know people who naturally tend to drag other people down. People who always seem to be down in the dumps and negative. I’m not saying we should abandon these people as friends, but perhaps limit how much time you spend with them, particularly if you have been locking yourself away from people working and need to get out and enjoy yourself.
Related post – How to Deal With Negative People
Be a fun person
As I typed the above paragraph, I worried I might not be a great deal of fun to be around lately. Yikes!
I have been all work and not enough play. While I enjoy talking about my blog, it might not be entertaining to someone else. Something to definitely consider going forward and even more reason to make an effort to put myself out there.
There is one simple thing you can do to make yourself more approachable to people. Smile. Sometimes if we are nervous or preoccupied, we forget to smile.
Related post – Have You Been All Work and No Play Lately?
Be a social butterfly
This won’t work for everyone I admit. If you have a highly introverted personality, the idea of flitting around in a large group might have you breaking into a cold sweat. For others, it will be a great deal of fun and frivolity.
The opposite may also be true. Perhaps you are around people all of the time – the ultimate social butterfly. Perhaps what you could really benefit from is some by yourself time?
Related post – 7 Thoughts on Networking from a Former Social Butterfly
Don’t let age be a barrier
Unfortunately, we can sometimes lose our sense of fun and adventure as we grow older. Age can bring with it responsibilities, obligations, and financial burdens.
Despite this, it is important to make sure you fit in some fun time around your responsibilities. You are entitled to enjoy yourself, don’t let anyone tell you any different.
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Read Next – 21 Ways to Embrace the Simple Pleasures in Life
Oh, how I relate to this post. In the past few months, I have finally found my motivation, which seemed to have gone AWOL for about five years, and it’s an amazing feeling to be ticking things off my to do list with less of a struggle. But…at the same time, I frequently don’t sit down to relax until late at night, and I’ve been turning down social invitations right, left and centre.
Thanks for laying it out like this; I think this one: “Make sure you know what your version of fun is.” – is something I’ll need to have a proper think about.
Hi Liza
Glad you enjoyed the post.
Yes remembering your own version of fun is very important. I remember a few years back I went on a beach holiday with a group of other girls. I had a great time but their version of fun was shopping all day. I don’t mind shopping but after a couple of hours, I’m over it. I also don’t think I had a lot of money to throw around at the time so that was a factor. I told them I didn’t want to go shopping (nicely of course) and then found a bar overlooking the ocean, a great book and some very tasty white wine. I loved it. One of the girls got a bit cross at me, I think she thought I was being boring but that was my idea of fun at the time. I chose to follow my version, instead of going along with the group and doing something I didn’t enjoy (and could not afford).
Good luck with the to do list, that’s great that you are powering through it. I have found that I’m not getting many social invitations now, I think people automatically assume I won’t go because I am working (which has definitely been the case for a while now). I need to reconnect with a few friends to let them know I am open to catching up again.
I look forward to seeing you here again soon.
Cheers
Thea
I like your idea of fun. 🙂 But that’s one of the things that worries me slightly about my own fun: a lot of my “fun” activities are solitary (writing, reading, running, yoga), so I need to think about how to incorporate a social side. Which should be easy enough, at least with yoga and running.
Good luck with reconnecting in your own social life!
Hi Thea,
This is the type of advice that will never get outdated. Having fun is important step to living a life full of abundance and balance.
Thanks for creating these awesome words of wisdom!
To Your Success,
Stacie Walker
Hi Stacie
Thank you for your comment and I am happy you enjoyed the post. Lovely to have you here on the blog. Having fun is so important, I think we forget about that as we get older and our responsibilities increase. Sometimes we get so caught up in work we simply forget to have fun!
Again lovely to have you here.
Cheers
Thea