How to feel alive again…
That’s quite a tagline for a book, right? I first discovered Ms. Price when I was watching a recap online of The Swell’s The New Pause Symposium led by actress Naomi Watts (who by the way is doing fabulous work bringing menopause out of the shadows). Price did a version of her Ted Talk at the symposium and it struck a chord with me.
At the time, Molly and I were planning our first women’s wellness retreat and wanted to incorporate a Book Club evening into our schedule. The concepts Price’s book introduces align so well with our mission at Tarry Life — it was a natural choice.
Price is a science journalist by trade, so she provides scientific research, along with personal anecdotes, and practical advice to help us rediscover the way to experience “true fun.” She tells of her renewed interest in the guitar and her largely successful attempt at learning to row in her 40s, both impressive and pretty inspiring.
She also explores the benefits of fun, which are plentiful, including increased productivity, reduced stress, and improved relationships.
Throughout the book, Price encourages readers to experiment with new activities and hobbies, to be more present and mindful, and to cultivate a playful mindset. Ultimately, “The Power of Fun” is a guide to finding happiness and fulfillment by embracing the trifecta of flow, playfulness, and connection.
One key element of her book, in addition to her previous book, How to Break Up with Your Phone, encourages us to take a good, hard look at our device usage. Many of us, including me, spend a lot of our downtime on our phones, and it’s actually draining us even more and is essentially the opposite of true fun.
The trick, it seems, is at a bare minimum to include little spurts of fun in your daily life. While deep, sustained fun on a regular basis is ideal, small chunks of fun and distraction can have profound effects on your overall health, mental and physical alike. I hate to say it, but none of them involve screen time.
I’ve come up with my own list of ways to squeeze more fun into my day. Try these four ways to up the fun factor in your life 20 minutes a day:
Here are 4 Real Ways to Add Fun to Your Day…or Dare I Say, to Tarry!
- Play with your pet. If you’re a pet person, studies have shown that time communing with your favorite pet can lower blood pressure and give you a shot of dopamine. Be silly with them, it’s good for you.
- Dance it out. Yes, it’s cliche now the concept of “dance like nobody’s watching” but put on your favorite song, go nuts and tell me you don’t feel better!
- Go outside to the beach/park/mountain. Whether you live in New York City or the wilds of Montana or somewhere between, there is a shoreline or a hill you can stroll around.
- Do something out of the ordinary. Go browse a bookstore, try on fancy party dresses at the mall, bake a pie from scratch, take a cooking class, It doesn’t matter if you’re good or bad at it, or if you don’t need a dress at the moment, just get out of your routine and focus on just that.
Come up with a list of your own, we’d love to hear about the creative ways you’re incorporating fun into your life.
This idea of fun is at the heart of Tarry Life. To tarry, in our minds, is ultimately to be wholly present, which is what you’re doing when you’re truly having fun. Now, go have some!