Fun & Recreation

Having fun on a regular basis is a pillar of happiness. -Gretchen Rubin

By Neissa Springmann

In my mid twenties I owned a non-competitive gymnastics business, and one of the reasons I chose that career was because I wanted to have more fun. While in college, I taught recreational gymnastics and loved it, and after graduating and working in “the real world” I simply needed to add more fun into my life. Furthermore, I was suffering from a broken heart and needed to spend time with innocent, unjaded and fearless children, because they were everything I was not.

Needless to say, the children taught me everything I needed to know about life! Not only did they heal my heart, but they also showed me how to have fun again!

In the event you are needing to add more fun in your life, below are helpful tips that will send you on your way to joy!

Let’s all go have some more fun! ~Neissa

Did You Know…
…that Gretchen Ruben from The Happiness Project suggests that having fun sounds easy, but it’s not. She recommends taking the time to do some real self-reflection. As you ask yourself, “How can I have more fun?” keep two things in mind:

How can I apply this to my life?

Be honest about what’s actually fun for you. It’s a ‘secret of adulthood’: just because something is fun for someone else does not mean it’s fun for you, and vice versa. Wine-tasting, skiing, baking bread, reading mysteries—(Gretchen) personally does not enjoy any of these “fun” activities. They’re fun for some people; not for (her). Don’t try to be self-improving, and don’t plan a “fun” event based on what other people would enjoy. Make time for something that’s fun for YOU.
Do have real fun. (Gretchen) often feels so overwhelmed by tasks that (she) thinks, “The most fun would be to cross some items off her to-do list. (Gretchen) would feel so much better if (she) could get something accomplished.” In fact, though, (she) just makes herself feel trapped and drained. If (she) takes time to do something that’s truly fun for (her) (re-read All the King’s Men for the 4th time, or call her sister), (she’d) feel better able to tackle that to-do list.

You do have to know how to have fun — and that takes serious reflection.
An example from (Gretchen’s) own life: (Gretchen) always knew that (she) found it fun to read children’s and young-adult literature, but (she) never paid much attention to that passion; when (she) made this activity a major pastime, by acknowledging what (she) found fun and starting three kidlit reading groups, instead of pushing it to the corners of (her) life, (she) dramatically ramped up the fun (she) got from it.
How about you? Have you ever had trouble finding fun, or making time for fun? Do you find activities fun that other people don’t find fun — or the reverse?