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Jumping in puddles, seeing daffodils and tulips dancing in the warm breeze and the jokes of April Fool’s make this a wonderful month to focus on the feeling of amusement as it relates to joy!
Keep reading to discover why this month is an amazing month to practice feeling more amusement, and why April is a great month to focus on it!
Definitions of Joy
In 2016, the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Douglas Abrams published the book, The Book of Joy.
Encompassing all of the things that make joy, the authors worked to find a definition for what exactly joy is. Quoting studies, joy—they discussed— is actually made up of a bunch of different feelings! My post, “What REALLY is Joy (+ Why do We Need it in Our Lives)” also focuses on this quest to define the word!
These feelings that make up joy include:
—Bliss
—Gratitude
—Exhaultation
—Relief
— Amusement
Every month this year is going to focus on one of these feelings, what it is, why that month is a good time to invite more of that feeling into your life and some ways to feel that feeling more!
For April, the feeling being highlighted is amusement!
What’s Amusement, Really?
When you look up the word amusement on Webster’s, you get the following definition, “pleasurable diversion, entertainment”
In preparing to write this, I always thought of the word amusement in regard to fun!
Look no further than the parks filled with roller coasters and rides—they are called AMUSEMENT parks!
Amusement is having fun and being entertained in life— which may sound like a bit of a radical thing for many adults!
Somewhere along the lines, many adults forget to make time for having fun in life. This is such a shame in a way because we really are just kids in adult bodies—we still have the desire to do things that are fun and amusing every single day! Let’s make the intention to invite fun and amusement back into our day!
Why Focus on Amusement in April
April begins with April Fool’s Day on April 1st—combine that with spring weather making its appearance a bit more and people coming out of winter’s hibernation and I think spirits are truly lifted this month!
What comes to my mind is seeing a new baby animal on a warm spring day— they are often running around in circles and just enjoying life!
Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama write in The Book of Joy that they define Joy to be made up of eight different pillars (I wrote about each of them in my post on How to Feel Joy When the World Feels Heavy). One of these pillars is humor—which I think is so closely tied to amusement!
We, as humans, need to make space for humor/fun/amusement! It is what helps get us through the tough times we sometimes face in life and it also truly lifts us up toward our inner joy within!
April is a fantastic month to focus on growing your inner sense of amusement so you too can run around in circles in the amusement of living life!
How to Add Some Amusement to Your Life
Check out these tips and ideas for ways to add more amusement to your life– this month during the rest of the year!
1.) HAVE FUN!: What does fun look like to you? Take some time to really reflect upon this because often our society has made adults feel like this isn’t something they really need to think about a lot. Is it hiking? Is it reading? Is it playing with your dog? Is it swimming? Is it having a bonfire? Try to incorporate more of these things into your daily life, and let yourself feel like you are having fun!
2.) Get into Alignment: This is a term I first learned about from Bella Lively’s podcast- The Lively Show. It’s a word I feel like we hear, but don’t really associate the term with our emotional wellbeing. Basically, alignment is getting into a state of feeling good. It’s often suggested to do that first thing in the morning to set the tone for your day and your inspired actions afterwards. Similar to above, what gets you into a good mood? Is it having a cup of tea and reading? Is it taking a bath? Is it a certain meal? Important to note: these activities WILL change–go with the change and adapt!
3.) Play a game!: So often we forget to play games when we reach adulthood! They are such a wonderful tool to have fun with other people. Pick what sounds fun to do—perhaps it is a board game, a card game, or maybe it is an actual pretend made-up game you do together like “the floor is lava” (who says your imagination stops!). Feel the inner joy shining when you all are having a lot of fun together!
4.) Meet Up/ Talk with a Funny Person in Your Life: I remember writing about this idea in my post on 10 Joyful Things for April in regards to April Fool’s Day. As someone who does not like pranks, I loved the idea of using this holiday of sorts to laugh with others in a non-trick way. One suggestion I stumbled upon was the idea of using April Fool’s Day to meet up with someone in your life who really makes you laugh! It’s a wonderful suggestion—I feel— and is one you can do any time of the year! If that person lives a distance away, pick up the phone to call them, text them, Facetime them, or Marco Polo them and share some laughs together!
5.) Laugh/Tell Some Jokes: Have you noticed that whenever you hear someone tell a knowingly cheesy joke, there is still a little bit of true laughter at the joke? Jokes and funny stories are great tools to use when you feel a need for a little amusement in life! Look up some great funny jokes, or remember your funniest stories and share them with others (perhaps with the funny person from the idea above!). If you are in a gathering with others, consider talking about funny things rather than resorting to gossip/how bad everything seems to be.
6.) Watch This Laughter Video: I first saw this video this video in a Dr. Joe Dispenza workshop, and it is truly such an outstanding reminder that even just laughing has the power to lift you and others up! It’s such a great little video, and it was even a suggestion for feeling humor in my post on How to Feel Joy When the World Feels Heavy!
7.) Jump in some puddles: This is such a quick and simple way to tune into the feeling of amusement! Whenever you are outside in the rain or just after a big rain, have some fun by jumping into some puddles while you walk!
8.) Go to an amusement park: If you really want to tune into your inner sense of amusement (and joy!), try going to an amusement park—amusement is in the name after all! It is hard not to get a big smile on your face while you ride some of your favorite rides and tap into your own inner child!
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Celebrating April’s Amusement