By Emy Louie. Edited by MM.
Feeling overwhelmed? Time to create a healthy living routine that incorporates fun and creativity into your daily schedule.
It’s nice to have fun with other people, but it’s also just as important to have fun by yourself and without over relying on any one person for your fun time. Circumstances change and people’s schedules change. Over-reliance on any one person for your fun puts you at their mercy. If that person moves out-of-town or is busy with a major event, you are left stuck without a routine of fun.
Be responsible for your own fun!
For the adults, it’s nice to have kids around — kids who are 12 years old and under, to remind you to be more child-like and have fun, but remind yourself that you don’t need a kid to have fun. You can have fun just by yourself also!
How to start? Look back to the time when you first can remember (for some of you, that’s a long time ago) and recall all the things you have ever done that were fun that you may have forgotten about. Reincorporate those things you did in the past. Then, vary and change-up the fun activity just so you don’t get into a rut.
How to know when you are in a rut? It may be difficult to notice at first. It’s when you have a feeling of neediness for something outside of yourself to fulfill your life. That feeling sort of just creeps up into your life. It’s when you don’t feel free anymore. This is the opportunity for a change of routine, however small or large. For example, three-day weekends and vacations are great times to start a new routine of fun.
Things to do to “spice up your life!” on a daily basis: (Note: I listed only things that I have done myself on a daily basis.)
Conversation
- Call a relative, friend, or acquaintance for no particular reason and strike up a conversation.
- Strike up a conversation with someone you normally see, but don’t really talk in-depth with. Try something as simple as “how was your weekend?” if you don’t normally ask such a question.
- Give yourself a pep talk. Be your own coach. Say to yourself, “Good job on…!”
Cooking and Dining
- Prepare a dish you have never cooked before or prepare it in a slightly different way.****
- Try a new fruit or vegetable you have never ate before.****
Dance
- Play music and have a dance party. Who cares if there is no one else dancing? Have a one-person dance party.
- Create an interpretative dance for a song. Act out the song. Create your own gestures, signs, pantomime, mime, or modern dance piece for the song.
Exercise
- Take a walk by yourself. Don’t procrastinate just because you are “not ready.” Just get out and walk even for 10 minutes.****
- Practice a walking meditation.****
- Do stretching exercises.****
- Do sit-ups and push ups and jumping jacks.
- Jump rope.
- Practice Yoga, Chi Kung and/or Tai Chi.****
Games
- Try a new board game or card game.
- When waiting in line, try 21 questions or thumb wrestling.
Music, Television and Videos
- Find streaming music on the Internet.****
- Find music and videos on YouTube, etc. Save what you listened to into a playlist so you can listen to the same songs again.****
- Watch sitcoms or cartoons.****
- Watch a new video you have never seen before on YouTube.****
Phone
- Don’t text. Answer your phone or cell phone for a day. Abstain from your phone as long as possible. Take a “no phone” challenge. How long can you go without using your phone?
Pictures
- Share pictures on Facebook.****
- Organize prints of pictures.
Prayer and Clearing Your Mind
- Say a prayer and really feel and mean the prayer. If you don’t feel the prayer, say the prayer until you really mean it.****
- Read something inspirational.****
- De-clutter your mind: take up meditation and breathing exercises.****
- De-clutter and organize your home.****
Singing (any singing)
Transportation
- Take the train or bus. Walk or bike somewhere. Try a different form of transportation that you don’t normally use. If you can’t go the entire way to a destination with another form of transportation, take the hybrid approach. Drive to a park-and-ride. Be creative with your use of transportation.
Other
- Draw a face, a person, or any object in your home.
- Color in a coloring book.
Maybe you already do many of the things listed above. Try a different spin on things.
****You can read retrieve information about all these topics, get “how-to” instruction and get access to these things for FREE at the local public library!
Mindfulness and Healthy Living 