Q & A: Fun? What’s That?

Q: Last week my therapist asked me what I do for fun. I sat there speechless. I know I’d be better off doing fun things, but all I do is fuss about food and my appearance. Can you give me some ideas on how to get started?

A: All of us need fun and recreation to relieve the stress of daily life. Without laughter and relaxation we become increasingly driven and uptight until something snaps. Then our depleted bodies and minds force us to take a time out to recover from collapse.

Unfortunately, many of us think having fun is bad. We are so controlled by the work ethic that we believe only schoolwork, career efforts, and housework are meaningful. Nevertheless, total health is impossible without recreation and fun. Recreation produces feelings of peacefulness, well-being, mastery, joy, discovery, concentration, belonging, support, and delight. Ideally, recreation provides balance and tension relief so you can return to work, school, and family duties with renewed zest and enthusiasm. Therefore, you will want to look for leisure activities that are different from your daily routine.

If you have little control over much of your life, choose a leisure activity that gives you a chance to be in command and make the rules. How about hiking, photography, bird- watching, or collecting anything at all that appeals to you? If you produce no tangible results at work, relax by making something from scratch. Maybe you will like sewing, weaving, or jewelry making. If your daily routine is boring and repetitive, pick a hobby that lets you express your creativity—something like painting, working with clay, or writing poetry. If you spend a lot of time caring for others, relax by being selfish with NO apologies to anyone. Take a class, read an entire book, or learn to play a musical instrument.

If your life does not challenge you, find a recreation activity that does. Learn to climb mountains or ride horses. If you feel like a failure, find some activity that gives you instant success. Learn to speak a foreign language, solve puzzles, learn a computer program, or play chess. If you feel isolated, volunteer or join a club. If your life is filled with deadlines, find something to do in your leisure time that lets you thumb your nose at the clock. Walk through interesting neighborhoods and look at the houses and gardens, go to a museum, rent slapstick movies, select a project and allow yourself to finish it.

Remember, recreation is supposed to be FUN! Don’t turn fun into drudgery by thinking of it in terms of "should" and "have to." Acknowledge and plan your recreation progress by listing potential activities on a calendar in different colors.

Source material taken from the ANRED Alert. Find more ANRED information at www.anred.com