I don’t know about you but we humans desperately need to learn to let loose and chill a little.
We live in a world that wants us to be hyperproductive all the time and it’s exhausting. So much that we forget to slow down and lower the pressure we put on ourselves.
A few years ago, I was so focused on my professional success, achievements and others’ expectations that I neglected other aspects of my life like rest and having a healthy social life.
Needless to say, my mental health took a nosedive.
I always felt stressed, grumpy and like my life lacked meaning.
It wasn’t until I understood the importance of letting go and not taking everything so seriously that I started to feel better about myself and more excited about life in general.
Why is it important to let loose and have fun?
You may be feeling uptight sometimes for different reasons.
There is the crushing weight of others’ opinions.
You could also be dealing with fears and worries about the future (or the past). Not to mention the constant stimuli and pressure from the world we live in.
That’s why it’s soo important to take the time to unwind and not always take yourself too seriously.
Many of the things we are bothered by end up not mattering that much in the long run. They always work themselves out eventually. Meanwhile, all the worrying stops us from enjoying life in the present moment.
So here are 15 ways you can learn to let loose and enjoy your life a little more.
1. Stop caring about other people’s opinions
You and I, let’s make a commitment right this minute that from now on, we’re going to give a giant middle finger to other people’s opinions and live life on our own terms.
Okay? Sound good?
And I don’t just mean people’s opinions when it comes to our looks or how we like to dress up (but that matters too).
I mean when it comes to our life choices.
We don’t go after what we want because we’re terrified of what other people might think of us.
We stay in jobs that we hate because we would never dare disappoint our parents. We don’t leave relationships that drain the crap out of us because we don’t want our friends to judge us.
Other people’s opinions keep us trapped and stuck and rigid when we should be free to live a good life based on what we know is good for us.
So from now on, make the conscious decision to free yourself from the constraints of other people’s opinions and live the life that you want to live. It doesn’t have to make sense to ANYBODY else but you.
2. Get comfy with failure and mistakes
If you’re a perfectionist and you put so much pressure on yourself to be the best at everything, just let go.
You’re a human being. You will make mistakes at some point. Accept it and free yourself from the unnecessary pressure.
It’s also helpful to reframe your mind when it comes to this. Failing or making mistakes doesn’t mean you’re a bad person or you suck at everything. It means you actually tried and you’re one step closer to succeeding.
3. Enjoy the little things
I keep this quote on my desk and it’s always there to remind me that there is so much in life that I just don’t need to worry about in the moment.
Instead of taking everything so seriously and worrying so much, focus on the little things that make you happy like having a good laugh with a friend or savouring a nice homecooked meal after a long day.
These little moments are what make life truly awesome. So stop overthinking the small stuff and do more of what really matters.
4. Switch up your routine!
This is a favorite of mine.
If you feel like your routine has gotten a bit blah, create a little challenge to keep yourself entertained. For example, make a point to smile at 3 strangers today.
This may sound a bit weird but a smile can go a long way! It could be for the person who prepares your coffee in the morning or the lady who keeps the door open for you as you’re entering a building.
Or, if you usually get the same coffee every day on your way to work or school, live a little and choose a different one for a change!
5. Learn to be more present
It’s easy to get in our heads when we’re worrying about things that haven’t happened yet. Or when we obsess about mistakes that we’ve made in the past and we constantly beat ourselves up.
In order to let loose, you need to let go of the past, release your grip on the future and focus on the present.
I mean it’s all you have right now so you might as well enjoy it right? Plus it will do wonders for your mental health.
There are times when I start to worry a lot about the future and whether or not I’ll succeed in life and achieve the things I want to achieve.
All that does is it makes me more stressed and anxious in the present.
So what helps me is to just take things one day at a time. It makes life seem much less overwhelming and it does wonders for your mental health.
6. Learn to prioritize and schedule fun in your life
An important way to remind yourself to let loose every once in a while is to prioritize having fun. We get so busy with work and school and we are always on the go that life passes us by and we don’t even realize how little fun we’re having.
You need to be very intentional about this. For the past 2 years, I have been very firm about scheduling fun in my life instead of waiting to “have enough time” or finishing all the other things I have to do first. Because the truth is, there will always be something else that you could be working on or that you “should” be doing.
So now, every week I attend a dance class because I love to move my body and it’s what I like to do for fun. It also always gives me something to look forward to.
So make fun a priority in your life. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy. You could save every Friday night to catch up on your favourite show or plan a small getaway trip with your friends every few months.
7. Recite positive affirmations to give you confidence
I will never stop singing the praises of affirmations.
Every morning, I get so excited to read my affirmations because I know they’re going to give me that boost of excitement and energy to start my day right.
If you want to stop taking everything so seriously in life and let loose a little bit, start bringing out that energy with affirmations.
Here are some examples:
– I am so excited about today,
– I can’t wait to see what beautiful surprises this day brings me!
-Something awesome is going to happen to me and I can’t wait to see it.
Based on science, by speaking out these positive words consistently, the Reticular Activating System in your brain (sort of like a filter for your brain if you will) will start to pay more attention to proof in your environment that exciting things are indeed happening around you!
8. Let go of control
In life, no matter how much planning you do, things will never go exactly the way you want them to.
You could apply for a job that you are completely qualified for and still be rejected.
Maybe you apply to a university where both of your parents went and you want to keep the legacy going but you are rejected.
Maybe you were hoping you’d be married with kids by the time you’re 30 but you’re single as a pringle.
Do you know what’s the best way to deal with life’s guaranteed obstacles and detours? Let go of control.
Just let go!
Accept that changes and redirections are a part of life and learn to trust yourself that no matter what comes up, you’ll be okay. After all, you’ve survived 100% of your horrible, didn’t-think-you-were-going to make it days, haven’t you?
It’s not easy but this is something I am learning to implement in my life every day. So for you to let go and relax, let go of control and just take things as they come, one day at a time.
9. Spend more time with your fun/outgoing/spontaneous friends
You know that friend who is always down to go on an adventure or invite a bunch of people and have a party out of the blue?
You know the one.
I have friends like that too and honestly, we could all learn a little bit from them about the art of letting loose.
That’s why you should call that friend, invite them to hang out and pick their brain a little. Observe them. How do they move through life with such ease, without worrying so much? How are they always so down for anything? Friends can have a big influence on your life so find those friends whose fun, spontaneous, carefree behaviour you admire and learn from them.
10. Be flexible and go with the flow
Last year, I took a business class focused on agile management.
One big takeaway from the class was that when conducting projects (with a team), you need to be aware that things won’t always go according to plan and you need to be “agile” so you can adapt and navigate situations as they come up.
In other words, you need to be flexible and I believe that’s so relevant for everyday life. Things don’t always go the way you want them to. Shit happens. Life happens. Learn to move with situations instead of always against them.
My whole life, I have struggled with control and having a specific plan for how I want things to go. When things wouldn’t go my way, I freaked out honestly. But the older I get, the more I realize that that doesn’t serve me.
Instead, when I see myself starting to react when a project has a roadblock or I have to compromise with a friend of family member on something that I don’t like, I pause, take a breath and remind myself that it’s okay to compromise, it’s okay for things to happen differently from what I envisioned and it’s not the end of the world if plans change.
11. Remember life is short…YOLO
Not to get too dark here but at the end of your life, do you really want to look back on your life and see that you don’t have any hilarious stories to share with people? Or that you worried too much about this or that? Or that you didn’t go after the things you wanted because you were too scared of the outcome or what other people would think of you?
I don’t know about you but I sure don’t!
Life is short guys. In the wise words of Drake, you only live once. Each moment in time that goes by, you’re not getting back.
So make sure you live fully, leave the unnecessary worries for later and have no regrets. Be present in the moment. Do the things you love and trust that tomorrow will take care of itself.
What are some things you like to do to have fun and let loose? Let me know down below!
