If you are like most people, you probably don't have as much fun as you'd like. After all, lack of fun, joy or play is a common complaint among adults.  

Yet, you might not necessarily think you need more fun in your life. Instead, you might have a feeling that something is missing in your life.  You might feel a need to connect to others in a lighter or freer way.  You might be longing to express yourself. 

You might feel weighed down, hardened, or maybe realize that you tend to react to situations contrary to how you know yourself to be, deep down. 

And all those feelings point to a potential lack of fun and play in your life.

Yet, there are good scientifically proven reasons why it's crucial to add more fun to your life: 

1. Having fun improves your relationships. When you are having fun, it makes you more personable, more relatable, and freer to express yourself. And when humans laugh together, it sends the signal that we have things in common. That's what tightens our connection to each other. 

2. Having fun makes us smarter. When you are having fun, you naturally expand your awareness of yourself and others. It helps you to learn without the pain typically associated with transformation and growth. 

3. Having fun reduces stress. When we are having fun, we relax. Being in a state of ease naturally reduces our stress and anxiety levels. And laughter has even been found to reduce symptoms of depression.  As the old saying goes, "laughter is the best medicine." 

4. Having fun keeps you young. Let's face it, stress is draining, and it can suck the life right out of you. On the other hand, effectively reducing your stress levels will give you a boost of vitality and energy. 

Can you see that integrating time for play is essential to your wellbeing?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. 

And besides, did you know that humans are naturally playful?  Yes. It's true.  In fact, most animals are. Spend some time in nature, or watch animal documentaries, and you will see animals at play. 

It might be hard to believe if you are around crusty old folks set in their ways. But beneath the crustiest of exteriors is someone who wants to laugh and play more. 

And if you think you are too old for fun, consider George Bernard Shaw's quote: "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." 

So, where does our playful nature go?  As we grow up, we repeatedly are told to focus, work hard, and be more serious. 

But that's no reason not to have fun at all. There's no reason why anyone couldn't enjoy a little fun regularly. 

Even if you have a full-time job, a spouse, and kids, and a gazillion other obligations, responsibilities and reasons why you can't make time for fun, there are always ways to add more joy into your life. All you have to do is make it a priority and plan some fun activities into your schedule. 

Here are seven tactics to add some fun to your day: 

1. Schedule fun time. Sounds obvious enough, right? Yet, most people don't have fun simply because they do not purposefully plan it into their schedule. If you decide you will have fun whenever you have free time, let's face it, it's never going to happen. There is hardly such a thing as free time anymore.  Something always shows up out of nowhere to swallow any semblance of free time you might have thought you had.  You have to schedule the things that are important to you and make them a priority.  If having fun is a priority, you'll make the time for it. Take a look at your schedule and decide right now when you're going to have fun.  In fact, schedule an improv session with me right now!  I conveniently posted the link below.  Improv is a great way to add more fun to your life. 

2. Avoid taking life too seriously. In a society that values achievement, it's easy to neglect our need for play. We don't like to spend our time frivolously. If you want to enjoy yourself, you're going to have to lighten up a little bit. There's time for work, and there's time for play. It's all part of being well-balanced. 

3. Do something you've always wanted to do. I am confident that there have been many occasions where you've thought to yourself, "That looks cool. I would love to try that." It might be joining an improv community, rollerblading, snowboarding or making natural soap. What have you always wanted to do that you haven't scheduled yet? Let me know in the comments below. Make it real. Then make the time! Now is the time to make it happen. Tomorrow is guaranteed to no one. 

4. Spend time with others. It's not that you can't have fun by yourself, but it's easier to have fun with other people. While you might make yourself laugh at times, it's a lot more likely that you will laugh if you are having fun with friends. Not to mention that you will have someone you can recall that experience with years later. You can always trigger great memories just by saying this sentence step and seeing what comes up: "Remember that time when we…." 

5. Have something to look forward to. Not only is life more fun when you have something to anticipate, but the feeling of anticipation has been shown to be more powerful than receiving the thing or moment hoped for. So schedule events and moments to look forward to with great expectation for the sheer pleasure of being in the state of anticipation.  It could be a date on Saturday night, a family outing, a vacation, something you purchased online that you are now waiting to arrive, or plans to see an old friend. Some people don't like to make promises for fear of breaking them. But that robs people of the anticipation period, which adds to the enjoyment of the prize later.  The anticipation is often the most significant part of the fun.  Can you think back to something you waited with bated breath and felt the expectation was so much better than the actual reward?  Share in the comments below. Then give yourself at least one thing every week to look forward to.  It doesn't have to be anything significant. It could be as simple as planting a seed and waiting for it to sprout to life.  Notice how adding feelings of anticipation into your life changes your mood for the better. 

6. Eliminate things you don't enjoy. Clutter makes us miserable. It weighs us down. It confines us to endless hours of organizing and decluttering. It detracts from your ability to enjoy yourself.  You will find it so much easier to have fun if you can remove these unenjoyable things from your life. And sometimes it includes people, too.  You can't get rid of everything and everyone you don't like, but there are always some unenjoyable things in your life that you can eliminate. Eliminating the things that stand in the way of having fun creates the space needed to attract more fun people and activities in your life. 

7. Care less about what others think. One of the greatest detractors of having fun and feeling joy is being overly concerned about the opinions of others. I know this is easier said than done. However, as you practice caring less about what other people think, you'll find that you enjoy your life more. 

So, let me ask you when was the last time you had fun? I mean serious laugh-out-loud fun that made your belly and cheeks hurt?  If you are like most people, it's probably not recent.  But now you know how to change that! 

There are plenty of ways to have fun without making elaborate plans or spending a lot of money. Grab a friend or family member and do something new. Make a few memories and have a few good belly laughs. You can always have fun when you're willing to make time for it. 

The journey continues every day. That's why I create these trainings. We have to take the time to reconnect to ourselves and remind ourselves of who we are and what we want to experience, be, do, create, have or express in this life. We only have one shot at this life, so we have to make every day count. 

It matters. Because you matter. 

Marie-Josee 

Live. Love. Laugh. Because it really does matter. 

Ps. If you want to continue the journey with me, sign up to my Reaching Higher Improv Community to continue to add play and fun into your life. I offer F-R-EE drop-ins every week, plus many more opportunities for practice in a small live virtual group. 

>> Click here to find out more about Reaching Higher Improv! <<