Laugh away stress by making a choice to have fun

Six friends huddled together for a picture, three having a piggyback

Laugh away stress by making a choice to have fun

Having fun is the best stress reliever – but it can feel like we have actually forgotten how to have fun!

When did that childish delight in the small things disappear? When did life suddenly become so serious?

For a reminder of good, old fashioned fun, turn the clocks back to invite your five-year-old self out to play. Can you remember when you were a small child and playing was everything? 

There were endless hours of fun, laughter and imagination. The odd falling out would take place, but it would be quickly forgotten too. 

 

“If you are not having fun, do something different.” Larry James

 

Rediscover your inner child to use fun as a stress reliever

This week take time to find your inner child and rediscover that joy in having fun. Before technology, playing out was ‘kerby’, hide and seek, making dens in the woods, pretending to be popstars in the back garden and drawing hopscotch grids on the pavement with chalk. Life was  simple, carefree, low cost and fun.

So, what changed? Who stole the fun? Or did we all just get fooled into thinking that we have to grow up? It could be that the fun just slowly disappears as you decide there is no time to do the things that you once enjoyed. 

In the midst of a global pandemic it has been all too easy to lose sight of fun. But it is important to remember that you have a choice. You have a choice to still have fun if you want to, despite the circumstances. 

 

“You don’t stop having fun when you get old. You get old when you stop having fun.” Anonymous

 

Choose fun!

You can still choose how you feel. Decide to let your hair down and shake off the shackles of seriousness, and doom and gloom. You can always pick them back up at 4am if you want to but, just for one night, park them and do something fun, such as:

  • Dance around the room
  • Challenge someone to a lip sync battle
  • Rock out with air guitar
  • Tackle a jigsaw
  • Draw a hopscotch (look up the rules if you need to)
  • Have a water fight
  • Create a slip ’n’ slide with a roll of plastic sheets or bags
  • Make bubbles and pop them by jumping into them
  • Dig out Bop-it!
  • Challenge someone to Swingball
  • Play beach tennis at home
  • Play badminton
  • Kick a beach ball around
  • Bounce on a trampoline

 

“The more you focus on fun, the more fun you have.” A.D. Posey

Two teenage girls riding on a bike

Make a list of 10 things to do for fun

Why not try something new, or write a list of things that you’ve always wanted to do just for the fun of it? Then actually set out to tick off that list. Your choices might be limited by the pandemic, but it is still a choice to have fun – choose activities that you can still take part in. Choose to make having fun part of your life.

Think about the things that you plan, week-in week-out – do you ever plan ways to have fun? Maybe it’s time to start. What are 10 things that you would love to do entirely for fun? Write them down and make them happen. 

 

Having fun as a stress reliever

Having a laugh is good for your mental and physical health. If you really go for it and dare to forget how serious you’re supposed to be and remember what it is like to be a carefree five-year-old again, you’ll reap the rewards of feeling happy. 

Embrace fun activities to blow away the stress, anxiety, worry and seriousness that’s been holding you hostage and feel the magical flow of the endorphins. Having fun is a choice that only you can make, nobody else can make it for you. You are free right now to have fun and it can cost nothing at all. 

When you have fun and laugh so hard that you can hardly breathe, it’s a great way to get rid of stresses because when you’re having fun, you can’t feel bad at the same time! 

The older you are, the more you need to hear this and the more you need to do it. So, what are you waiting for? Forget your worries, go and feel alive – feel fun as a stress reliever!

 

“Having fun is the best way to learn.” Albert Einstein

 

Choose the life you want to lead

Remember to share the laughter, giggles, good times and fun with the Back on Track Teens community through the website  www.backontrackteens or on social media: 

This week, decide not to act your age, have a laugh, and draw up a list of fun to be had! It’s that simple.

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