Life doesn’t always go as planned. The setbacks and pain we experience can leave us feeling defeated. However, every now and then it’s important to remember that life isn’t about work, chores, and basic tasks. Life is meant to be lived and experienced. How lucky are you that you’re alive right now, breathing, and with a beating heart. Many people before you have missed out on this experience right now. But this is your lucky chance to live your life to the fullest. In this article, we’re going to share how to have fun even after a bad day. So, let’s put on the dancing shoes and get ready to make life a bit more delightful.
How to Have Fun (Even After a Crummy Day)
1. Start by meditating
Okay, while I know breathing exercises are no one’s idea of living it up, when you’ve had a bad day, cried, or feel groggy, it’s hard to have fun without getting it out of your system. Doing a quick ten-minute guided meditation will allow you to separate the moment from bad into good. You need to replace those negative thoughts with happy thoughts. So there’s no room for ruminating thoughts here. There’s no “I can’t do this” or “I’m worthless” or even “I’m not good enough.” No, this period is all about remembering that life isn’t about pain. Pain is just what happens to make you cherish the good moments more. It’s not meant to be the state you live in. Okay, now that you’ve done a quick meditation, it’s time to start getting ready to have some fun.
2. Shake it Out
Now, it’s time to get the energy into you. Put on an upbeat positive song on full-blast. You don’t have to dance just yet if you aren’t feeling it. It’s all about shaking your body. Shake your arms and legs awkwardly. If you have a mirror around you look at yourself. You’ll probably look awfully strange shaking random body parts when you’ve got puffy eyes. Give yourself permission to laugh at the ridiculousness of your day. Instead of thinking something like “bad things happen to good people.” Think “bad things happen to everyone, a positive outlook can have a positive outcome.” Whatever has been going wrong in life doesn’t matter right now. Just shake out the negative energy. A good song to shake to is “Shake It Out” by Florence and the Machine or “Shake it Off” by Taylor Swift or even “Hey Ya!” by OutKast.
3. Invite Friends
Okay, now that it’s out of your system it’s time to start having some fun. While it’s totally possible to have fun alone, you can also do it with others. Invite friends to hang out with you. Pick a day or a time that works for everyone and plan a fun event to do. You could do a scavenger hunt (yes even if you’re over 35). An amusement park could also be a good way to have fun together. Or you could go to a dinner and tell each other your favorite memories of each other to begin howling with laughter. Tell funny stories. Actually, you can even tell heartfelt stories. Take a moment to tell your friends everything you appreciate about them individually in front of others. You’ll make other people feel special and you’ll start to feel really good about yourself too. Sometimes, to take care of yourself, all you need to do is show someone else some love.
4. Attend a Concert
2023 is going to be a great year for concerts. So many popular artists and bands will be going on tour this year to celebrate new albums and classic hits. If there are no local bands in town this weekend you’re excited about, consider planning a weekend getaway to check out an artist on tour. You could go to Vegas to see Katy Perry, Celine Dion, Shania Twain, Journey. If that’s not in the budget, no worries. You could also check out YouTube to watch concerts for your favorite artists for free. My go to activity is to walk on a treadmill while watching concerts online full volume. That way no one can hear you belting out the lyrics. Plus, it’s good exercise. And what does exercise give you? Feel good endorphins. So the fun never ends.
5. Throw a Dance Party
In your twenties, house parties were always filled with strangers and left you feeling kinda lonely. However, if you’re the one planning the party, you decide who’s on the guestlist. It doesn’t need to be that big of a list, even two to three people is fine. Invest in a disco light, create an epic playlist of party songs, and purchase some snacks. Then, dance the night away in the comfort of your home with the people you love the most. If you’ve got young kids, you could throw a kid-friendly party so you and your family can dance together. These are the kinds of memories people remember and cherish their whole lives. If life begins to get mundane, you could even create a family ritual of dance parties every Friday night along with a pizza party.
6. Host a Game Night
While some games *cough* Scrabble *cough* can make your day explosively worse. Many games can allow you to have a ton of fun. You can play Wordle in bed with your life partner and enjoy a relaxing couple’s evening together. Or you can play a game like Clue, Sorry, or Battleship with your children. If you’re feeling like a game night with friends is where it’s at, you could play Cards Against Humanity or Ticket to Ride. Hosting dinner or including snacks can make the night eventful, filled with laughter. Don’t become obsessed with winning or keeping score. Just focus on having a fun time with people you care about.
7. Go On An Adventure
Those looking to learn how to have fun even after a bad day, should consider a local getaway experience. Some companies offer local scavenger hunts that you can sign up for. You simply follow along a path to get clues, take selfies, and find hidden treasure. If you’re looking for something a bit more low-key, you could go on a trail hike in your local town or a community nearby. Some cities are known for having the most waterfalls, a beautiful river, or really lush forests, so you can take your pick to find something nearby that connects you back to your roots: nature. You could also look up areas of interest in your current city and do a tourist for a day in your city, to explore your own community and support local businesses. You never know who you’ll bump into or what you’ll discover (like a new favorite meal).
8. Give Yourself a Makeover
If you’re looking to have fun after a rough day, a helpful activity to do is pamper yourself. Men can buy a new sharp suit, get a haircut, and regain their confidence by sharpening their epic appearance. Women can also do the same thing. You can get your nails done, get your hair and makeup done, or go on a shopping spree. Whenever you’re feeling off, losing confidence, or going through a nasty breakup, divorce, or job loss, making yourself look good can help you feel good again. So few people know how to love themselves. Investing in ourselves is the key to our happiness and helps us feel good again. If you want to have fun, simply spoil yourself for a day. Remember: you are important.
9. Play Sports
If you’re looking to have fun, consider a physical activity. Bad days can be relieved by getting it physically out of your system. You can play a team sport with friends or a league. If you can’t rally enough people, no worries. There’s plenty of other activities you can do too. For example, you can head to your local trampoline dodgeball park and play a fun activity with friends, your kids, or strangers to tire the negativity inside yourself. You can also sign up for and train for a mud marathon where you crawl in dirt, climb ropes, and run in one of the most extreme ways possible. If you’re looking to do something today, solo sports like dance, martial arts, or a local activity at a park are great options to shake the fun back into you.
10. Movie Night Under the Stars
Sometimes, you want to have fun but in a low-key way, no worries. You can also have a movie night under the stars. Provided that it’s not winter or a rainy day, a movie night under the stars can be a fun activity you do. You can play a projector against a fence, make some popcorn, and bring some outdoor pillows and a blanket to lie down on. It can be a relaxing experience to be out in nature, while relaxing with a hilarious movie to watch. If the weather doesn’t permit you to be outdoors, you can head to a local movie theater, or create a movie experience in the comfort of your own home. If movie night isn’t the vibe of the night, consider visiting your local planetarium to gaze at the stars and learn some astronomy without having to brave the cold.
11. Family Get Together
A fun activity you can do when you’re having a bad day is host a family get together. Calling up relatives to come over to your house on the weekend can be a great way to connect with the people you love most. You can ask everyone to bring a dish and turn it into a potluck dinner so you don’t have to put as much effort into the get together. You can play music, mingle with loved ones, take pictures together, and celebrate quality time together. You can have fun by planning fun activities to do together. You might make a photobooth with an iPad and add a backdrop using a curtain or some epic decor. With food, music, pictures, and your favorite family members, you’re guaranteed to have a good time together. You could designate different rooms for different activities, such as dancing, video games, or a movie room.
12. Childhood Nostalgia Activities
As children, we dream of growing up fast so we can do things independently. But then we grow up, and life sucks the fun out of everything. If you want to have fun again, think about the childhood activities you loved doing the most as a kid. If it’s summer, you and your family might turn on the sprinkler and run through it in the backyard. You could also jump rope, play hopscotch, or some other outdoor activity. If it’s winter, you could build snowmen or throw snowballs at each other with packing snow. Indoor activities, such as writing songs for your “band” or playing video games with family members could be a great way to push the creativity juices out of you and help you unwind from a stressful day. You can have fun by doing the nostalgic fun activities you did as a child.
13. Attend local event
In your local community, events are always going on. Being spontaneous to look at the local events happening today in your area can be a great way to break out of a crummy day and have fun. You could attend something you didn’t plan, which helps ramp up the fun factor. From a last-minute concert attendance to an open mic night to a comedy show or even a paint night, you never know where you’ll end up if you don’t think and just show up. You might meet new people, learn a new skill, or create a lasting memory from this spontaneous activity. You don’t need to travel far, local activities change every day, so you’ll never know what to expect.
Conclusion
Having fun doesn’t need to be a challenge. While some days require more energy to have fun, especially if they mentally drain you, a quick ten-minute meditation session will help you refocus your attention. Okay, so today didn’t go as planned. But the day isn’t over yet. Life’s short but there’s still plenty of time to have fun and experience living. Make the most of the present by living in the moment. Give yourself permission to have fun again, you deserve to be happy.
