During winter break, I stumbled upon a book called The Fun Habit that I knew I had to read. To be honest, for a while after becoming a parent, I lost the drive to focus on my own fun. With full days of playing with my kids, coordinating their activities, managing a home and building a business, I didn’t feel like there was much room for adult “play time”. And, society didn’t really encourage it, either – play has long been relegated to the confines of childhood!
But, over the years I started learning more about play and fun from them. I’d watch their energy and demeanor glow as they’d pretend, create and find fun in simple things—and I remembered how that felt when I was a kid. I began dripping more of it back into my own days little by little and I was reminded that…
Serendipitously, The Fun Habit book goes deep into the science and research of the wellness benefits of play and fun (reduced anxiety and stress, increased self-esteem and creativity, better connections with friends and family to name a few). And it shows the reader how to make fun a regular part of your life that feels comfortable and authentic.
Instead of defaulting to auditing your calendar for productivity, what if you audited it for fun? Rucker’s PLAY model helps us understand how to do this. After reading the book, I put this into action and can honestly say that it has helped me uncover hidden opportunities to increase my fun, without sacrificing productivity. I am more able to seize moments for enjoyment because my mind better understands what that means to me and I have a go-to menu of fun activities to chose from.
I encourage you too to read/listen to this book and consider a fun audit to increase your capacity for daily joy. If you’d like some encouragement, join my Mindful Book Club – we will be reading it together starting April 1st! The club is for anyone looking to grow their mind + community, get support and accountability…and have some grown up fun. Limited spots are available, so check out the details and sign up here.
Julie Vincent is a Mindset + Wellness Coach on a mission to help women find transformative wellness by embodying their most joyful life. Through intentional mindset and mindfulness work, guided deep dives, and nutrition and wellness support, Julie guides you to amplify your wellness through integrating small rituals and mindset shifts into your days. With this new way to see and move through life, you will feel present, grounded, and able to access daily joy — no matter what comes your way.
Julie offers 1:1 and group coaching, local yoga + meditation classes and workshops and a Mindful Book Club. She is a mom of two, based in Rowayton.
Contact | www.clearspaceforjoy.com | [email protected] | IG @iamjulievincent