All work and no fun make Jack and Jill a very dull couple indeed! The number 1 regret people have when they look back on their lives, is that they took it too seriously. What’s missing for so many people is PLAY, the ability to have fun. Playing is not reserved only for children It’s what keeps us young at heart, passionate in our work and allows our relationships with others to thrive and grow. When we do take time to relax and enjoy life, we are consumed with guilt that we are wasting time and should be doing something more constructive.
We need to realise that we cannot afford not to play. If we constantly suppress our natural and instinctive tendency to have fun - it can manifest in unhealthy ways e.g. having an affair, using drugs, eating or shopping compulsively. We need to constantly remind ourselves what play is, then actively choose to do it.
Work and play needn’t be separate activities, finding enjoyment in your daily slog helps you get through the day. Limit how much work infiltrates your playtime e.g. the over use of cell phones – we walk and talk, eat and talk, relax and keep talking. Constant availability has become a liability.
When you do play do it for pure pleasure, not for any gain. You don’t have to always beat your squash partner. Your sewing skills don’t need to be boutique perfect. If you have too many expectations and goals - you will change an activity you love into a chore. Having fun requires no agenda, apart from providing you with pleasure. So what if for the next hour you just lie on the grass and watch the clouds make patterns in the sky? Playtime can be solitary, involve friends or loved ones, may even be time spent with a favourite pet, but it must take you away from life’s seriousness.
So go ahead and Play
- Read the comics before the financial indicators
- Instead of your normal healthy muesli have a bowl with something luridly coloured, preferably out of a packet that includes a toy!
- Have to wear a conservative suit all week? Buy yourself some fun underwear to wear underneath
- Hold a games party – anything from Monopoly to 30 Seconds. Have a murder party and make everyone dress up
- Be more spontaneous – say “Yes” to invitations you may have previously felt too busy to accept
- Don’t wait for conventional holidays to celebrate – have a 17th day of the month party. Why? Just because …
- Bring out the good glasses and china for your family to eat off
- Make mud pies in the garden – even if you don’t have children
- Buy chocolate cake mix. Mix and eat raw!
- Build a kite, a model airplane and then try and make it fly
- Spend time with those you care about, but remember time just for you. To do what you want, when you want to, for whatever reason. Nothing can slow down the aging process but if we keep playing we will remain forever young inside.
Indulge your senses with joy
- Save on electricity–spend an entire evening reading, eating by candle light
- Visit an art gallery, a museum, go to a concert, even just visit a flea market and let the creativity of others fill you with joy
- Do something silly, like dancing in the rain, wearing those ghastly paper crowns found in Christmas crackers, have Ghost Pops for supper
- Stand outside after the rain and smell the fragrance of the earth
- Luxuriate in a lavender scented bath, surrounded by candles, glass of wine in your hand and the children watching a video!
- Listen to soothing music (Josh Groban, City of Angels) a change from the often mindlessly, repetitive music played on the radio
- Plant and watch something grow, even if it is a sunflower or a mini herb garden on your back window sill
- Go ahead and indulge yourself, forget the calories have a double thick choc nut milkshake with cream and a Flakey
Try doing something challenging
- Phone someone you haven’t spoken to for a while and make their day
- Clear out your cupboards, oh! the joy of actually finding things again
- Laugh at yourself when the going gets tough. Ask yourself; “Will I even remember this crisis 1 year from now”
- Make a list of 10 hope inspiring items e.g. a drop in interest rates, the generosity of fellow South Africans. Next week add 10 more. If you keep your eye on the Good News around you, you will spend your life being joyful.
- Express your gratitude to those that mean a lot to you in a letter, poem or picture.
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