Fun Ways to Lighten Up

Healing is serious—and often depressingly slow. The stress can be overwhelming. Following are some ideas that may enhance your healing journey:

• Rent and watch an old-fashioned comedy (try Danny Kaye, Phyllis Diller, Bob Hope, etc.). Laughter is a proven healer.
• Take off your shoes and run through the dew-covered grass.
• Go to a park (without your kids if you are a mom or dad) and swing back and forth.
• Post comic strips on your bathroom mirror.
• Do a finger painting.
• Sit outside to watch a sunset or sunrise.
• Sing while you do a chore.
• Turn up the music and dance in your bedroom or living room.
• Skip—it is still a fun thing to do.
• Treat yourself to a picnic lunch or dinner.
• Take a bath to relax.
• Lie down and listen to a whole CD. Just listen.
• Take the time to read a light book.
• Go to the library, sit on the floor, and read a stack of picture books.
• Go to a card shop and read all the encouragement cards.
• Serve an upside down meal to your family (dessert first!)
• Sit on the bathroom counter and soak your feet in cool water on a hot day.
• Buy squirt guns and play with your spouse and/or kids.
• Spend time each day on a hobby—even 10 minutes a day can make a difference.
• Buy inexpensive flowers and put them all over your house.
• Take a walk with a friend.
• Learn a joke and tell it to at least two people.
• Have a pajama day.
• Roast some marshmallows with friends and/or family.
• Pay for a massage or swap massages with a trusted friend.
• Do anything that sounds both fun and healthy.