As our world seems like it’s getting busier with each passing day, and as we get caught up in the daily busy-ness of our lives, it can feel challenging to find the time to take care of ourselves and relax a little bit.
The thing is, study after study shows that a little bit of self-care goes a long way towards reducing stress and improving our quality of life.
Yet contrary to popular belief, self-care doesn’t have to mean sitting around listening to music while taking a warm bubble bath with candles (though that IS definitely relaxing and we highly recommend it). With a little imagination and openness, self-care can also be easy, fun, and doesn’t even have to take a lot of time.
In that spirit, we’re delighted to share with you 5 Self-Care Habits that are Actually Fun!
1: Goat Yoga!
Did that put a smile on your face already? Though it may sound stupid or silly, the practice is real. Goat Yoga is a form of yogic practice famous for its unique way of bringing light and joy to our body, mind, and spirit.
The concept is pretty simple. While you do yoga, baby goats are all around you. The little ones are soft, cuddly, and interact with you while you’re practicing your yoga. Not only is this a fantastically unique experience, you’ll find it practically impossible not to smile.
Though Goat Yoga originated in Arizona, it’s become more widely available in cities all across the United States. You must give this a try, it’s amazing and fill you with joy!
2: Ecstatic Dance!
If you’re not into dancing, don’t worry… this isn’t about how great of a dancer you are. Forget the name and think of this a way to enjoy moving meditation. Simply put, there’s music, spiritual people, and an invitation to move your body in any way that feels good to you.
Nobody is watching you or judging you, which makes this unique form of dance perfect for everybody regardless of their skill level. This is true even if you’re the kind of person who is still reluctant to dance even if you’ve had a drink or two.
Fortunately, enjoying ecstatic dance doesn’t require drinks or good dancing. It’s an entirely different approach where there’s no choreography, no proper steps, and nobody really paying attention to each other. Ecstatic dance is about freeing your mind and body, unapologetically doing whatever it feels called to do in the moment.
This kind of dance meditation is also great for your health. Studies have shown that dancing releases more endorphins than typical aerobic exercise and is also more successful at reducing stress levels. Feeling free, having fun, getting exercise, and releasing stress are the perfect combination for self-care.
If you haven’t tried it, you should. Like Goat Yoga, there are many places around the world where ecstatic dance events are already happening. Though beware, it can be positively addictive so be prepared to have fun and feel freer than you have in a long time!
3: Play a Game!
As children we lived in a world of play, fun, and games. Yet as adults, that often seems to fade away. The thing is, it doesn’t have to!
One of the gifts of games is that they pull you away from the mental chatter of daily life, they land you in the present moment, and they do it while bringing smiles and joy to your life.
They also have a few added benefits. For starters, they’re also social so you get to spend time connecting with friends. Secondly, they keep your mind sharp and more positive. Studies have correlated that people who play board games are less likely to experience depression while also experiencing less cognitive decline than others who do not play board games.
Whether you lean towards board games like Scrabble or Catan, or physical ones like mini-golf, you’ll quickly find yourself enjoying life and forgetting the stresses of the day. Remember that games aren’t just for kids, though playing them does have a way of bringing out the kid in each of us.
Next time you find yourself craving some play and connection, invite a few friends over for a board game night and remember “it’s not against the rules to have a good time.” If you want to stay spiritually-focused, then you can set aside that deck of “Cards Against Humanity” that you hide when your spiritual friends come over, and instead do a quick search for “spiritual board games.” You’ll find a wide range of unique conscious games to add into your collection.
4: Do Something That Makes You Laugh
Time and time again, science has shown that laughter is one of the easiest and fastest ways to release stress, both short term and long-term. According to the Mayo Clinic, the short-term benefits include stimulating your organs, releasing stress, and aid in muscle relaxation. The long-term effects are even more impressive: improved immune system, natural pain relief, and improvement in your mood (even helping lessen depression and anxiety).
Fortunately, there’s a lot of ways to find laughter in your life! For some, that is as simple as flipping on a streaming service and watching an episode of your favorite sitcom or watching a funny movie. As mentioned above, you can play a game and there’s some very funny ones such as “Live Laugh Lose” which is sure to get everybody in the room giggling. If you have young kids in your life, whether they’re yours, a relatives, or a friend’s, then spending time with them will keep you young… because the innocence and curiosity of little ones has an infectious way of making us smile, laugh, and enjoy life more.
The point is this: You don’t have to go far to find your happy place because there are so many opportunities to laugh in our world. Make it a priority to get at least a few laughs in every day and you’ll reap the rewards in mind, body, and spirit!
Conclusion
Self-care can be fun when you do it in ways that work for you. And though the ideas above are excellent, and will help you find healing and happiness, think of them as starting places. Use them regularly (at least one of them daily), and you’ll find yourself happier, more productive, and even healthier. If you’d like to take your self-care further, consider attending one of the many free online spiritual events listed at https://spiritualgrowthevents.com
Author: Chris Cade
Chris Cade is a featured teacher in The Manifesting Movie and founder of SpiritualGrowthEvents.com He is also a certified Firewalk Instructor by Sundoor’s Peggy Dylan (she taught Tony Robbins how to firewalk), has swum with wild dolphins in the Bahamas, bent spoons with The Monroe Institute (have you heard of the CIA “Stargate” program?), left a six-figure job to become a conscious entrepreneur, and he is a grateful full-time single father in sunny California.
This article was submitted by a guest blogger. You can read about the author in the post above. If you would like to submit an article, please write for us (sponsored guest posts).
Paul Harrison, Editor, THE DAILY MEDITATION.
