🥳 Have fun! It makes you stronger

Plus: tips to get you started

View this email online Ana Galvañ/NPR Friends, It’s Friday – or Fri-YAY (as some of us like to call it)!  Have you made plans for some weekend fun yet?  With the state of, well, everything, it can be hard to let loose these days – or to even want to. Amid war and trauma and climate woes, the pursuit of pleasure and play might even feel a bit….wrong.  But fun is not frivolous – especially during hard times. We learned that this week from author Catherine Price, who wrote The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again. “Counterintuitive though it may sound, the more you can prioritize fun in hard times, the better you'll be able to cope with those hard times,” says Price. “It's actually a tool for resiliency.” Listen to the episode No matter what your situation is, engaging in some true fun – not just being amused by your social media scroll or numbed by streaming – can stave off stress and loneliness, and act as a reset button on a tough time. It starts with approaching your free time with the right mindset.    Newsletter continues after sponsor message The definition of “true fun” will be different for everyone (Wordle is still a daily thrill for me, don’t @ me, people!) but Price says fun time will embody a mix of three elements: 🤸 Playfulness: Toss out perfection and embrace a spirit of lightheartedness and freedom 💛 Connection: Connect to your activity, your body, the people around you 🌊Flow: You know when you get into a groove and lose track of time? That! Ready to bring more fun into your life? Price has a handy acronym to help SPARK joy.  S –  Make space for fun! Put your phone down, treat your weekends like mini-vacations or even set aside some time on your calendar just to have fun. P  – Pursue passions. "You don't need to put pressure on yourself and think 'I'm going to become a professional snowboarder,'" Price says. Set the bar low! Look for things that interest you and let those guide you. A – A is for attracting fun, which means having an open mind about when and where fun can be had. Price recommends an improv-style "yes, and" approach to having fun, where you look for fun as well as jump into other folks' fun. Maybe call up your faraway friends and ask for ideas! R – Rebel! Price found in her research that a little bit of gentle rebellion was a good way to make fun happen. So, jump in a pool with your clothes on! Go biking in the middle of the night (with safety lights)! Step out of what is expected of you. It can be a great way to seek out fun moments. K – Keep at it! Like any new practice, the only way to really incorporate it into your life is to try it many times. So don't give up if basket weaving doesn't work for you – maybe it'll be sewing your own clothes or experimenting in the kitchen or working in the community garden that becomes your next fun magnet!              Let’s laugh so hard we cry this weekend, friends. Let’s dance around the kitchen to our favorite songs and lose ourselves in a new poem and delight in the beauty of a campfire. When you take the time to look for it, you just might find joy is only a click away.  And we’d love to hear YOUR strategies for fun: send us a voice memo to LifeKit@npr.org or leave a voicemail at 202-216-9823. –Andee Tagle, Life Kit producer 💡Have a life hack? 💡   You can still send us a note at LifeKit@npr.org or leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823 with your tip. It could appear in an upcoming episode of Life Kit or in our video series on Instagram!   Look out for next week's episodes on: 🦸‍♀️Tackling conflict at work | 🕶 Personal style | 🐦Helping birds Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: LifeKit@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Daily News, Code Switch, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Life Kit emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy