You need more fun in your life
Or, how to have fun as an adult 🤠
You may have seen that I recently went on a rant about not having to be the best at something to enjoy it. Strap in for part numero dos of the series: why you need to have more fun.
I get it, you’re an adult - you have responsibilities, a job, a mortgage if you’re lucky. Your idea of fun is a couple of bevs in front of the telly with some good mates. Far be it from me to rain on your parade - that is fun! But limiting yourself to narrow perceptions of what having fun can mean as an adult can (you guessed it!) have negative effects on your mental health.
It’s been a wild ride the past year and a half, being locked inside and re-learning how to navigate the world when we’re allowed out (only then, for some of us, to end up back in our houses). We all ended up with weird hyper-specific hobbies. Some examples from JP HQ include tracing a family tree back to the year 1590, writing the screenplay for a full season of an original tv show, and attempting to recreate a specific jam and cream donut that was discontinued years ago. We got a taste of unbridled, childish exploration of what brings us joy without anyone there to judge us. Sadly, when real life came knocking at our doors and we were allowed to venture back out into the world again, being outside and visiting friends just seemed more exciting than doing yet another crossword.
A fun fact about me is I have never been relaxed, ever, and can’t allow myself to “just” have “fun” - so naturally I did some research. If you have also researched the phenomenon of having fun as an adult, you would have also noticed there are some incredible benefits to having hobbies:
Reduced stress
The act of ‘play’ triggers the release of endorphins, which promote happiness, relaxation, joy, and can even temporarily reduce pain. Think of runner’s high! Having fun lowers cortisol levels, which means you feel happier in the short term, and in the long term you have a lower risk of high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease.
Increased creativity
Loads of research has shown that play is an important part of children’s development and learning - so why wouldn’t this be the case with adults? Playing stimulates imagination, which can help you adapt and give that right brain a workout. Interestingly, reading for fun has been shown to improve both our language skills and our maths skills. Reading and exploring for fun fosters self-directed learning, introducing us to new concepts, ideas and solutions.
Increased productivity
We know by now that success at work doesn’t necessarily equate time spent doing work, but rather the quality of work. Taking breaks to joke with a colleague or engage your creative, fun-having side can help dampen your inner editor and critic, and allow you to work more deeply and creatively. As mentioned earlier, stress reduction is a major benefit of play too, so if you can spend less time feeling stressed, you can spend more time working effectively and energetically.
Other physical health benefits
You’ll live longer. Having fun in physical contexts such as enjoyable exercise - like dancing, jogging with a mate or team sports - helps naturally balance hormones, which has a positive effect on our endocrine, metabolic and immune systems. Stress can be physically and mentally draining, so lowering those cortisol levels can actually mean an increase is energy levels!
Better relationships
Having fun with others promotes empathy, intimacy and trust, all of which give your relationships a boost. It’s been shown that laughing together subconsciously teaches your brain that you and your friends share values, thereby building stronger bonds. Plus, if you’re a little socially anxious, finding a group of people you can have fun with can help boost confidence and decrease social anxiety over time.
So then we have to ask - how do we have fun? Simple - have a play. Adult play (get your mind out of the gutter) is a fantastic way to take your mind off of work and commitments, and be social in an unstructured, creative way. Whether it’s goofing off with friends or co-workers, throwing a frisbee for your dog, or playing volleyball with some mates - there doesn’t have to be any purpose to the activity other than having fun.
Looking for a low key, low stakes way competition where you and your teammates can have some fun? Check out our listings over on 👉Just Play 👈
