# How to have fun

## Why bother having fun?

We need fun as much as work for a healthy life:

- When we finish [working](success-4_routine.md), we recharge our minds with relaxation and recreation.
- Most [religions](religion.md) believe in a dedicated day of rest, and [science](science.md) has proven that it makes people 150% more productive.
- If we don't schedule sabbaths, sabbaticals, [vacations](fun-vacations.md), breaks, aimless walks, and time off, life becomes repetitive and [meaningless](meaning.md).

We are having fun when we're experiencing joy, [focused on the moment](awareness.md), and have lost track of time.

- This is difficult to do if we're [stressed](mind-feelings-happiness-stress.md) or have been busy [working hard](success-4_routine.md).

Each person has their own interpretation of "fun":

- Finding out what's fun to you requires [self-awareness](awareness.md).
- You understand what you like when you can describe it to someone else.
- For some people, bricklaying or cleaning is fun!

We can have fun even when we're not doing designated "fun" things:

- Learning and [creative projects](mind-creativity.md) are often just as fun as relaxing.
- In fact, if you've found [a career you love](jobs-1_why.md), your *work* is often fun.

Boredom is the best time to have fun:

- Boredom is typically from not being [creative](mind-creativity.md) in that moment.
- We tend to lose our creative edge as we get older.
  - [Children](parenting-children.md) can typically have fun with anything, anywhere.
- Consuming tons of media (as opposed to creating) inhibits our ability to have fun.
- Boredom often compounds because our boredom tends to bore others.

The easiest cure for boredom is to plan ahead:

- Write down fun things as you think of them, then consult your list when you're bored.
- Go through webpages or online things you've saved.
- Keep a list of things you're curious about, then read up on them later.

If you can't find something fun to do, spend time around children:

- A child can have fun with mundane objects like a piece of paper or a cup.
- At one time, you were able to have as much fun as any other child, but forgot.

Try new things, but deepen your appreciation of familiar things:

- This all depends on your [personality](personality.md), so find your personal balance between exploring familiar and unfamiliar things.

## Avoid fun that creates long-term issues

Avoid addictive substances and recreational drugs:

- While substances like street drugs and alcohol *are* fun, they won't let you have fun indefinitely from the [health problems](body-4_health.md) you'll face.
- The best fun is the type that you can have for the rest of your life.

Be careful with permanent tattoos:

- Before you get a tattoo, think of what you would have gotten five or ten years ago.
- Hang a picture of the tattoo somewhere you'll see it every day for a year to be sure you want it.
- If you're bald and self-conscious about it, get a tattoo of hair stubble on your head.

While there are many companies fighting for you to spend money on their product, stay mindful of [your financial state](money-3_budget.md).

- While money can buy fun, you can often find as much fun in the [creative](mind-creativity-how.md) ways to enjoy life *without* money!

Anything you do too much *can* become [an addiction](addiction-substances.md), so add variety to everything you do.

## Find a sense of humor

[Humor](humor.md) is highly contextual to [culture](people-rules.md) and background, so there's no easy explanation that applies to all contexts.

Every mentally well person will find humor in various small things:

- We all have silly idiosyncrasies and quirks.
- Everyone tends to have at least one severe defect that brings about entertaining misadventures.

If you don't believe you're particularly funny, it's a trainable skill:

- Spend time analyzing and considering how your favorite comedians are funny.
- Find small observations about apparent things that don't make sense.
- Learn how to exaggerate and express extreme behavior, even if you're by yourself.

## Play games

Games are simplified life:

- Games, like life, have [rules](people-rules.md), requirements, [conflicts](people-5_conflicts.md), [social interaction](people-1_why.md), [challenges](success-3_goals.md), and [resource management](power-types.md).
- Throughout life starting from early [childhood](parenting-children.md), playing games has many psychological benefits.

Since they're the most interactive and give the most feedback, play games that require hand-eye coordination.

## Avoid over-hyped things

Instead of doing what everyone else likes, try to find the hidden things everyone else overlooked.

If something is [wildly popular](trends.md), it will likely have diminished in [quality](values-quality.md) by the time you've experienced it.

- Generally, the more popular it is, the more expensive it is, and the less likely it'll be worth the cost.
- Waiting in line to eat something famous is rarely worth the wait.

Always stay attentive to [new ideas for having fun](fun-ideas.md).