Organizing the Inside – Day 252 Set Aside Time For Fun

May 12, 2012 at 10:00 am · Filed under Encouragement, Inspiration, Peace, Relationship, Simplicity, Wisdom, Women's Ministry and tagged: God, Laughter, Stress management

9What do people really get for all their hard work? 10I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. 11Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. 12So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. 13And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God. Ecclesiastes 3:9-13 (NLT)

Are you driven?
If you are like many entrepreneurs, leaders and busy women I know, you understand the importance of cutting loose from time to time. However, if you’re driven and end up working late into the night, often unintentionally, here’s a quick word about having fun. He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich. Proverbs 10:4 (KJV) Surely there is nothing wrong with having drive and hard work has its rewards – agreed.  Since you are so driven and goal oriented, perhaps you’ll need to pencil in your fun time.

Having fun is important to your overall sense of well-being.
The intense on-going stress cause by a heavy workload will eventually take its toll, unless you learn to lighten your load. Sometimes acting silly or cracking a joke with coworkers is all that is needed to relieve some tension. Consider those things that make you laugh and find ways to merge them into your every-day-life. A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength. Proverbs 17:22 (NLT) Studies show that laughter helps decrease stress hormone levels, strengthen the immune system, and lower blood pressure. There is a long list of health benefits associated with laughing and having fun.

Make a list of at least seven things that are fun for you.
Some activities on your list will be with family and friends, and some will be things for you to do alone. Make sure that at least a few times a week if not daily you are having fun. The best fun to have is spontaneous, but hey, if that’s not your thing, “having fun” the list will support your efforts to change. Some people are just naturally funny and having fun is second nature, great for them they likely take themselves a lot less seriously. Those of us who are just a bit more stiff under the collar ought to spend time with those friends who really know how to make us laugh. You know your own work/life habits and you know whether you need to schedule fun time or if it will spontaneously occur throughout the day. Whichever works, the important thing to remember is to make time to have fun. For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NLT)

Here’s a similar article for busy women who tend to work take on a lot.
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