Child’s play! Make Your Life All Fun And Games
Growing up, how often did you hear the phrase “life’s not all fun and games, you know”?
I know I have heard that many, many times. It is of course said with the best of intentions in recognition to the fact that you can’t have fun all the time. We have other emotions besides happiness in our daily lives, as it should be. It’s all a part of being human.
But the statement itself might be counterproductive. It might become a self fulfilling prophecy if we hear it too much and start to believe in it. Remember, your life is what it’s like because of what you believe life should be like. In other words, your life will become what you think it will become.
That’s why I think it’s important to address the situation. Life may not be all fun and games, but life is supposed to be fun!
We Are Naturally Inclined Towards Fun And Games
You don’t have to be a psychologist to understand that fun and games help in many ways with your physical and emotional well-being. We all know this intuitively.
But our society has a way of preoccupying us with things that make us stress and worry, and make us forget the things that we once used to know and take for granted.
I used to work with children in a kindergarten some years ago and it became obvious to me that fun and games are a natural part of us. Children express with great joy the fun aspects of life, such as dance (movement in general), the joy of art and music, mysteries (especially fairy tales) and wonder that life holds.
We should give more thought and make more effort towards bringing this out more in children, and adults for that matter, rather than trying to restrain what is natural.
There’s a lot we can learn from children, not the least the fact that fun and games are a natural part of us. Of course fun and games, playing in general, is how children learn, but it comes so naturally to them. But we, adults, are just big children.
The same inclination is still there, but we have learned to ignore it. We are told not to be childish and act responsibly, which usually means act in a “serious” manner. Fun and games are not considered professional.
You Can Practice Playfulness
Denying ourselves childlike fun, among other things, goes against what we know intuitively. We are naturally inclined towards playing and having fun, but somehow we have decided that this inclination should be hidden and ignored when we are adults.
All too often we are told not to express what is naturally found inside of us. This, as you can guess causes all sorts of negative emotions, like feelings of anxiety and sadness.
Luckily, there’s nothing that can’t be fixed. Just as you can learn any skill, like a new language, juggling, or being grateful, you can practice and learn to be playful and have more fun.
Like I mentioned, it does not take a psychologist to understand that there are benefits to being playful. Research suggests, that “playfulness”, e.g. creativity, is linked with greater happiness in life. It is also thought to contribute to resilience and healthy ageing.
Now what is playfulness? What does it mean for life to be all “fun and games”?
In very simple terms, it means finding amusement, humour, joy and entertainment in your daily life.
Things You Can Do To Make Life More Fun
The Mayo Clinic has a pretty comprehensive list of things you can do to bring play back into your life.
You can do things like:
- Put time into your hobby or start one. The point is to do something you enjoy doing and doing it just for you. Make sure the activity itself is fun and you are not just doing it for the end result.
- Gamify your life. This can be done with the help of mobile apps (or even better, without the help of one) which for example motivate you to move more. Or do things you used to do as a child? On a rainy day in a car, try to guess which raindrop gets to the bottom of the window first. While walking in the city, try not to step on the cracks on the pavement. I game I used to play while travelling in a car: before passing cars on a motorway, based on the make, model and looks of the car, try to imagine what the person driving the car looks like.
- Visit a park or playground. Enjoying the nature is a healthy activity in and of itself, but you can always go out and play for no particular reason at all. Go sit in a swing in a playground just for the fun of it. Forget what other people might think of you.
- Practice awareness. Playful people notice and appreciate beauty in the world. Be present in the moment (taking deep breaths will help you focus). Take note of the colours and smells around you. Feel the leaves and grass, jump in a puddle if it’s wet outside. I enjoy opening up clogged drains after rain. So therapeutic!
Laugh Out Loud
Then there’s possibly the most important aspect of fun and games: Laughter.
There’s a saying in Finland that roughly translates to English as “laughter makes you live longer”. Turns out, there’s truth behind this, as research links laughter with lower mortality rates.
Laughter can also reduce stress, improve your immune system, relieve pain, make it easier to cope with difficult situations, help you connect with other people and last but not least, improve your mood (duh!).
Did you know there’s even an Association for Applied and Therapeutical Humor?
The president of the AATH, comedian Paul Osincup, says:
“Humor is not a talent, it’s a habit”.
Just as playfulness is a skill you can learn, so is laughing. The guidelines are the same for laughter and playfulness: Make a habit of seeing the humour in everyday situations.
Faking Laughter Is Better Than No Laughter
Paul continues: “Everything in life can be drama, horror, or comedy. How often are you looking at it as a comedy?”
This reminds me of one of the oldest cliches of acting:
Tragedy is easy, comedy is hard.
Don’t you think this applies to life as well? We tend to stress and worry about anything and everything. The news are filled with human tragedies and negative events (because fear is one of our strongest reactions: It sells).
To combat this, a good thing to do is just laugh.
Madan Kataria, a medical doctor in Mumbai, India has studied laughter as a medicine. She made a discovery, that the human body does not differentiate between real and fake laughter.
Even if you fake it, laughter produces the same health and wellness benefits. We can’t all laugh at the same jokes, but we can all laugh.
Paul Osincup has some insight on this as well:
“If you find something funny, don’t hold back and simply smile to yourself, but push out an audible “Ha ha!” This might feel fake at first, but after a while, you’ll release and laugh naturally more often and louder than before”
“The more you play with humor, you’ll get better and better at it.”
Play With Your Life And Have Fun!
In fact, why don’t you play with everything in your life? Play with money, play with your relationships, play with the situations life throws at you every day. Play with life itself.
Taking a playful approach may equip you to better cope with the inevitable stress of life. One study of university students found that those who rated themselves as being more playful found the challenges in their lives to be more manageable.
Remember this important teaching: You may not have control over the circumstances in your life, but you can control how you react to those circumstances.
Make a decision right now that your life will become a comedy!
Well, maybe not a comedy where everything goes horribly wrong and people laugh at your fumbling and misfortune. But make your life a comedy where every situation is filled with laughter and fun, exciting events and opportunities that make you smile.
It’s not what you do, but how you do it (as it is with everything in life). Start telling yourself that life is fun and games! Think and act in a way that reflects this statement and in time it will become your second nature. You will start finding amusement in everyday details and start living in more in the moment.
Conclusion
Fun, games and laughter are a natural part of us and bring with them many physical and emotional benefits, such as:
- Lower stress
- Pain relief
- Easier connection with other people
- Improved mood
- Longer, healthier life
Playfulness is a skill you can learn, just as you can learn a new language or to be more grateful.
Find ways to bring playfulness to your everyday life. Fake a laugh if you have to; it has the same benefits as real laughter.
It’s not what you do, but how you do it. If you start to see your life filled with laughter and fun, that’s what it will eventually become.
Disclaimer
The entire contents of this blog are based upon the opinions of the author. It is intended for informational and educational purposes only. The information in this blog is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care professional before trying any of the products or methods based on this content. I cannot guarantee that you will be free of stress, anxiety or depression, or that you will be happy. I simply want to share with you what I have discovered during my twenty years of seeking happiness and what has worked for me may not work for you.
