The Morning Fun Challenge

As an adult, it is very easy for me to look at my day as a series of obligations. 

Like, I wake up with a debt of time and effort I need to pay in before bed that night.

Thinking about any given day this way feels heavy and not very fun.

This pattern exacerbates my anxiety and depression more and more over time.

So, recently (a couple of weeks before publishing this post) I started saying the phrase 'How much fun can I have today?' just after waking up...and it's really helped. =)

This morning mantra is not an excuse to skip out on tasks for the day. It's not me clearing my schedule to jump into a Ferris Beuller's Day Off kind of situation. That would get very unsustainable super quickly.

Rather, it's me thinking about how I can inject the most fun into my day given what all I have to do.


Examples: 

-When I go from my bedroom to my office, I can put on some upbeat music and dance my way over there rather than walk.

-Whenever I walk by a mirror, I can stop and make a funny face at myself.

-When I need to do something that doesn't require thinking (like the dishes) I can put on a funny YouTube sketch or some stand-up comedy and laugh while I'm working.

-While talking to someone on the phone or via Zoom, I can aim to make them laugh at least once or more.

-When no one's around and I talk to myself out loud (like many of us do), I can speak in a funny character voice instead of my own.


Again, I'm not necessarily changing my schedule or what I have to do. Instead, I aim to sprinkle fun on top of whatever I've got going on.

Since I began this experiment, days tend to feel lighter. I remember to laugh more, dance more and in general allow more silliness into my day, allowing less room for the stress, the despair or the anxiety.

How do you incorporate fun into your day? How could you inject a little more? What's something you do that isn't fun, that you could make even just a little fun? Is it worth trying my morning fun challenge?

Just ask yourself, 'how can I inject more fun into what I have to do?' And please let me know how it goes. =)

Stay curious!

Comments

  1. AKELLOJune 25, 2021 at 10:34 AM

    I really needed to hear/read this, Rich! My mind has been shifting into bland adulting and responsibility and I have completely ignored the "fun" part of the equation. I will begin to incorporate your suggestions and perhaps even add a few of my own. Thanks for this!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Shirley WainessJune 25, 2021 at 11:59 AM

    Dear Rich.... This is so timely! I needed this today. I woke up pretty cranky ... I love the way you've come up with a program and reminded me of "How much fun can I have today?" Love you!

    ReplyDelete

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