Is there Fun in resilience? Is there resilience in fun?
Are they connected?
Firstly let us look at the definitions:
What is resilience?
According to the dictionary it is the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness, to be able to bounce back
It’s having the mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility and ability to adjust to both internal and external demands and to bounce back. (American Psychology Association)
A well-known quote by Robert Jordan:
“The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it had to and survived.” ― (Robert Jordan, The Fires of Heaven.)
What is fun?
“Light-hearted pleasure, enjoyment, or amusement;
Differs from person to person
It is that moment that your mind and body forgets about hardships, stress and in the moment you are relax with a deep enjoyment of the moment.
The question remains – can we grow our resilience by having fun?
It certainly can!
Having fun allows you the mental and emotional break to be creative and relieve stress.
This will prevent you from getting stuck when walking through life’s difficult moments.
Having simple regular moments of fun will help prevent depression and improve your resistance to disease.
Fun or play triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals, which relieves stress and can even temporarily relieve pain.
Pursuing other fun activities that challenge the brain can help prevent memory issues and enhance brain function.
It can also make work more productive and pleasurable.
Another benefit from fun is relationships that grow. The social interaction of playing with family and friends can also help ward off stress and improve your relationships.
We can often put off having fun until we have time off or extra money, but fun doesn’t have to be big. It doesn’t require extravagant things like vacations or amusement parks.
And as said fun looks different to different people –
It can be: puzzles, reading, cooking, walking, playing the piano, chatting, crafting, painting, exercise, swimming, climbing, hiking
What is fun for you is perfect.
No need to compare.
Or change your way of having fun to match others.
Fun can be found in the small things
In the wonder and mindfulness of the moment
Or in the planning of a big vacation
Laugh easily , create moments of joy and pleasure
Remember to have fun is a way of living – not a destination
Bottom line: Know what activities bring you pleasure and joy and do them!
Why am I telling you this?
2 reasons:
Only what is truly fun for you will give you the benefits of joy and resilience.
Having fun as an adult can feel hard.
As a kid or teen, it was easy. There were few responsibilities. There was always something to do. But as an adult with significant responsibilities and pressures, it’s WAY harder to find fun and/or make time for fun.
We understand fun can benefit your resilience
The question now is – do you know what is your fun-thing to do?
Take some time and think about it, explore, try out and discover until you know what is your fun-thing(s)!
