With the average working week in the US being 34.4 hours a week, some full-time adults have even reported working up to a huge 47 hours. That’s almost the same as working 6 full days. Due to the consistent pressure to work more and earn money, finding time to relax and have fun with friends and family can seem near-enough impossible.
But making time for yourself to have fun is a crucial part of maintaining your wellbeing. Playing and simply having fun has been shown to have a huge array of benefits throughout many aspects of life, suggesting fun should be encouraged as opposed to coming second place to work commitments. So, if you feel burnt-out with work and need an extra push of motivation to inject some fun back into your life, here are some top benefits you can expect when sharing fun with friends and family.
Increased bond
Especially if you’ve been busy with work or other commitments and haven’t spent quality time with your friends and family in a while, it’s likely your bond with them will slowly diminish if you don’t make the effort to have some fun together. Going out in the city and exploring activities like escape rooms (https://www.paranoiaquest.com/atlanta/) together could help you bond with friends and family better. Not only that, but putting on your thinking cap to solve puzzles and working together to unravel the mysteries of an escape room could also give your brains a much-needed boost by providing some mind stimulation.
That said, maintaining relationships with your loved ones is an essential part of life, and doing fun activities together is a great way to nurture your bond and keep it strong. Whether you’re exercising, playing group games, or doing something relaxing and therapeutic like coloring, simply spending time together with an activity you all enjoy is sure to keep your bond in-tact. Click here to find a great coloring app you can start with, guaranteed to provide hours of fun for everyone regardless of age or ability.
Reduce stress
If you have a busy work life, you’re likely to experience stress at some point. But simple things like smiling and laughter have been proven to reduce the amount of stress hormones your body produces, encouraging an improvement in mood and decreased stress overall.
And what’s one of the most effective ways to start smiling and laughing again? Having fun with your friends and family of course!
Longer lifespan
Whilst this is difficult to 100% prove, studies have extensively suggested a strong link between thinking positive and having fun with living longer. In fact, positive thinkers have been shown to live a whole 7 years longer than those who think negatively.
If you find yourself consistently seeing the worst in situations and incapable of taking a more positive approach, making time to have fun with your loves ones is a good way to re-work your mind into thinking in a more positive way.
Having fun seems like such a basic concept, but it’s much easier said than done for many. Busy work schedules and the stresses of modern-day life can all make having fun appear impossible but, as long as you take spending time with your loved ones seriously and consistently make time to do so, you’re almost guaranteed to see some positive benefits!