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Fun. Remember it? Or are you so lost in the serious side of life you've forgotten how to loosen up, relax and play? Try some of these suggestions, and get back the feel-good factor.
Ignore the voices
Many pleasures cost little or nothing but time and bring rewards in happiness, creativity and renewed sense of self. Mute the channel that says, 'I'm too old/people will laugh/think I'm crazy/say I shouldn't'. Choose activities that bring delight; not what you should do, but what you want to do.
Start playing
Try rounders, frisbee or footie in the park. Slosh some paint around, buy clay and make models, collage your photos. Play Monopoly, Scrabble, card games, charades. Sing along to old tracks. Harmonise, loudly. Get a swing, a hammock, a swingball.
Get active
Go bowling, ice or roller skating, horse riding, canoeing. Swim in a river, ride a bike or a motorbike. Garden, act, sing. Dance in a class or alone. Run, jog, walk, skate-board, surf.
Go out
Browse junk or second-hand bookshops. Visit the beach, paddle. Wander round a garden centre, arboretum, aquarium, art gallery. See a friend you've been missing for ages. Take yourself to mountains, moors, forests, lakes.
Flex your mind
Start a class, speak French, read a poem a day. Study the subject that most intrigues you. Go learn Tai Chi, salsa drumming, novel writing, bread making.
Unleash your creativity
Make free with colour and texture. Grab pencils, pastels, paper, paints and indulge. Carry a sketch book, a camera, a notebook. Collect fabrics, silks, yarns. Embroider, weave, knit. Write: diary, life story, short story. Cook – not duty meals, but lingering sessions of soothing chopping and stirring. Learn an instrument or revisit one you used to play. Join a band.
Relax, unwind
Get up to see the sunrise, travel to see the sunset. Read a romance, murder mystery, magazine. Finish a crossword, no matter how long it takes. Meditate to music or in silence.
Be sensuous
Fill your home with colours, flowers, scents. Grow herbs, salads, strawberries. Light candles. Colour your hair, have a massage, a pedicure. Treat yourself to beautiful boots, socks, a scarf.
Surprise yourself
See an old movie in the afternoon. Wear jewellery, your favourite garment, more make-up, no make-up. Book a live concert, old favourites or the unfamiliar. Make something new happen in your community – start a reading circle, cycle club, parenting group. Plan a trip – a night, a weekend, something bigger and longer. Take flying lessons, go pot-holing, scuba diving, parachuting.
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