I am here to talk to you today about having fun! It seems pretty simple right? But as a graduate student I find that sometimes the concept of fun can be hidden by my every day tasks that need to get completed. Sometimes we can get too caught up in our busy schedules which leads us to often forget to participate in activities that we love. Does anyone else feel the same way?

Enjoyment. Life is about enjoying and experiencing the different things within it.

Take a moment and think about something tangible that you love to do.

When was the last time you participated in that activity?

If it’s been a while then what’s been limiting you from participating in that activity more often?

Things that I believe people need to remember to do for fun:

1. Activity – Participate in activities that make you happy! Because being happy is having fun! For example: exercise, watching movies, baking, yoga, going to dinner with friends, eating a donut, bike riding, playing video games, going to a concert, etc. etc. The list goes on and on!
2. Food – I loooooove food. I have a list of all my favourite restaurants in each city that I’ve lived in. Go out and “treat yo’self” every so often to enjoy that fave food location.
3. School – I know what you’re thinking, “Olivia, how can you put school and fun in the same sentence?” Easy. If you love what you are learning about then you’ll have fun at school. But make sure you choose to study something that YOU want to learn about.
4.  Friends – Surround yourself around the people that build you up. The people that you seek comfort in. The people that you experience a fun time with!
5. Family – #5 on my list, but #1 in my heart. If spending time with your family is something that you love, then do more of it!
6. Career – Choose a job that’s making you happy. One thing that I hear a lot about form people is that they “hate” their job. Okay, so if you “hate” your job and it’s making you unhappy then actively seek to change jobs.
7. Treat yo’self. The classic phrase that I know I’ve mentioned before. But if not, here is a clip from Parks & Recreation that explains the idea of “treat yo self”
8. Anything else that makes you happy

I hope you’ve been able to take a few moments to reflect on the activities of fun that are lacking in your life. Please try and participate in at least one fun thing that you love to do within the next week. Let me know how you do!

-Liv