Be Silly!
This week I figured I’d try to keep this post short and sweet...and silly! I was talking with a friend about what to write about and as we had just finished dancing around the living room to a Fitness Marshall video she says “being silly!” It got me thinking…really adults are just big children, right? I mean sure, we grow up and get more responsibilities and our tastes change and evolve but at the core, half the time I still just feel like a kid pretending to “Adult.” When you think about it though, when was the last time you let loose and just got a little silly? (and no, drinking alcohol doesn’t count!). I was reading an article that said, “People who exhibit high levels of playfulness—those who are predisposed to being spontaneous, outgoing, creative, fun-loving, and lighthearted—appear to be better at coping with stress, more likely to report leading active lifestyles, and more likely to succeed academically.” Which makes total sense right? The more pressure we put on ourselves the more stressed out we get. As we get older, it gets harder to connect to that childlike silliness and I think we sometimes forget to not take life so seriously (I mean what's the point of life without a little fun?).
The benefits of being silly? Well I can think of a few! I think we secretly admire silly people, it looks so fun and carefree. Being free, how awesome would it be to not give a shit about what anyone else thought and just do what you wanted?! It’s good for relationships, the more playful you’re able to be, the more you can show your true self to another person and be more at ease around them (and maybe not take some of those “fights” so seriously?). Being silly makes you feel good! No but really, have you heard the phrase “laughter is the best medicine”? Well in case you didn’t know laughter actually releases endorphins (the happy chemicals), it relaxes you by decreasing stress hormones, boosts your immune system by increasing immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, and if you get in a real good laugh sesh it’s quite the ab work out! ;) Finally, it helps you be Creative! I think being silly involves a bit of creativity, I mean…HOW am I supposed to be silly??
Well…here are ten suggestions!
Dance! If you need some help check out https://www.youtube.com/user/TheFitnessMarshall
Put on a crazy outfit or costume
Tell jokes to strangers
Spin, do somersaults, cartwheels
Sing at the top of your lungs
Climb a tree or canon ball into a pool
Make silly faces or do crazy voices (fun with friends!)
Food/water balloon/silly string fight
Chubby bunny game anyone? (For those of you that don’t know what that is, basically shove lots of marshmallows in your mouth and try to talk)
Make a crazy fun dessert…also so you can lick the beaters (come on, I know I’m not the only one who did this as a kid)
What are some other ideas? Which ones have you done or want to try? Basically this week I just wanted to tell you to have a little fun, be silly, and enjoy your life!