Imagine yourself writing a novel and that novel is your life. You know what you want to happen in the future, but at the moment; you don’t know how to continue the story to get there. Have you experienced times like these when it feels like you are stuck in a rut?
Most people would just label you as procrastinating or being lazy but this feeling is real. More often, it’s because of exhaustion or boredom, or a lack of something that you want in your life that you can’t quite put a finger on.
From time to time, we all want to take a break from routine. We want to experience something more exciting and fun. We want to feel that our life is fun and interesting again. Having these moments does not make you weird. It is a normal phase in everyone’s life. You can call it a minor quest in the game of life, and going through it actually helps you grow.
If you’re trying to get yourself out of a funk right now, here are some things you can do to inject more fun into your life.
1. Watch the Sun Rise
If you usually snooze until 6AM, try waking up earlier so you’re up and about before the sun rises. It would be helpful if you also slept earlier the night before but you can use an alarm clock. No matter how sleepy or groggy you feel, get out of bed instead of hitting the snooze button. Drink some water and get yourself some sunshine.
You can open your window or go outdoors to watch the sun rise. Don’t look at the sun directly of course. You can close your eyes and soak up the sunshine. Or you can snap some pictures or draw the scenery or write about it on your journal. Random activities like this encourage you to appreciate life in a fun way. The point is to take some time in your day to appreciate this phenomenon that we usually take for granted. Alternatively, you can watch the sun set too.
2. Try a New Playlist
Can’t focus on work even with your go-to music playlist? Consider working with a new set of songs. Maybe dance songs can energize you more instead of your usual classical music. Or try a fusion of both – modern pop songs played by classical instruments or an orchestra. You can choose music that makes you feel happy or sad, inspired or heart broken. You already know which choice is better for you.
If there are movies who’s theme songs inspire you, search for them online and use that for a change. Or if you want something without instruments, try acapella music or listening to a podcast about a topic you’re interested in. Life shouldn’t feel too dull when you are having fun listening to something that stimulates you.
3. Reorganize Your Stuff
Sometimes boredom sets in when we want something new in our environment. Life can lose its fun when you keep seeing the same things each day. No wonder you feel bored and exhausted with your life!
Take a good, long look at your office setup and try to rearrange the furniture another way. You can also do this for other rooms in your house. Maybe move some of your favorite decorative items from one room to another. If your favorite lamp is in your bedroom, maybe using it on your work desk would improve your creativity and productivity.
Consider doing some decluttering to clear out your room or house and your mind. Maybe you need to reorganize your wardrobe. Or maybe you need to let go of things you are not using to improve the look and feel of your entire home.
4. Sweat Out Your Funk
Rearranging your furniture not enough? Maybe you need more intense activity to stimulate you. Put on your exercise clothes, put on your favorite dance music play list and start moving. Or use a dance exercise video that you like. Inject some fun into your life but doing something you love without fear of judgment.
Just focus on moving your body and don’t mind if you aren’t a good dancer. We all know that exercise can help get your good vibes going. Just don’t do it so intensely that you sprain or break something. Be sure to hydrate yourself and take a break when you need to. Observing healthy habits daily is one way to keep up your energy and avoid feeling exhausted or bored with your day.
5. Catch Up With a Friend
Exhaustion and boredom can also be caused by lack of communication or social interaction. Think of a friend or a family member who you haven’t talked to for some time and make an appointment to call them. Make sure they aren’t busy when you call.
Don’t stress yourself out on what you can talk about. Just be honest and tell them that you just want to talk to them. You can recall the fun you had at certain points in your life when you could still go out together. Most of the time, you will get a positive response. Your friend will appreciate the break in their routine too.
6. Write A Letter to Your Younger Self
Pretend that you are now the successful version of yourself. You need to write a letter to encourage your younger self to not forget to have fun in their daily life. Most importantly, you need explain to them why they shouldn’t give up on their dreams. Be honest and sincere in your letter. It doesn’t matter how long it becomes as long as you are able to put out your true feelings. This process can be therapeutic and help you loosen up some emotional stress that you may be holding on to.
Tears maybe involved as you write your letter so be sure to have a box of tissues and water with you as you do this. You can also play some background music and light some candles to enhance the ambiance. Make the experience special. You are not only going back through memory lane; you are reconnecting with yourself in the process and also creating a new and memorable experience.
7. Read Out Loud
In your younger years, wasn’t it fun to be someone else and live a different life every now and then? Recreate those fun moments again. Get your favorite book or any book that’s at hand and read out loud. Magazines and newspapers also work. You can choose how to read it. You can read it faster than you usually would.
Maybe pretend that you are a broadcaster reading the news or a journalist reporting on site. Read it like you are in a stage play, or read it in a different voice like a movie voice over or a book narrator. Or if it’s a story you’re reading, read it using different voices for each character like when you read children’s stories.
Pick helpful books and articles that are interesting and fun to read instead of those with sad or horrifying topics. Make sure not to disturb your neighbors though, so read out loud but don’t shout. This is a fun way to raise your confidence too.
Why Are You Not Having Fun?
If none of these seem to work, maybe you should ask yourself why you are not having fun in your life. Sometimes, there are more deep-seated reasons why you feel exhausted about your life and why you feel bored of living.
Ask yourself these questions to help you find out why you are feeling this way about your life. Maybe there are some things in your life that you are not addressing. These questions should help you find the reason for your feelings and also help you get to know yourself better.
- Am I taking life too seriously?
- Do I need to be more self-aware?
- What things am I grateful for in my life?
- Do I feel guilty about something and need to apologize?
- Am I lacking a major challenge in my life?
- Am I focusing too much on working hard?
- Have I been neglecting my relationships?
- Am I spending too much time and money on unimportant things?
- Are my goals unclear to me?
- Do I have a negative mindset?
- Have I figured out what happiness and success means to me?
- Are challenges always stressing me out?
There are other things you can do when you are stuck at home and feeling bored to ensure that you always have fun experiences in your life. Whatever it is that has got you stuck in your life right now, know that you’re going to be ok. Recognize that the Universe has got your back and a lot of us are cheering you on. Let us overcome this together and become better versions of ourselves from the experience.
Got other ideas on how to inject more fun into your daily routine? We would love to hear them in the comments.
Feature Image: Original Photo by Jackson David from Pexels.