Benjamin Franklin said:

“We do not stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing!”

As we grow older, it’s only natural that life takes a rather more serious turn. We have bills to pay, maybe mouths to feed, an unpleasant boss to impress. Suddenly, a night in on the couch seems far more enticing than clubbing until the early hours.

At our core though, we all still have an inner-child; a child in need of fun.

For me, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is my ‘fun’. Rolling about on the floor, fighting with girls that have come to feel more like sisters, has given something to my inner-child that as a real child I never got anywhere near to. It’s a time when I have permission to be aggressive, mischievous, silly, sneaky, competitive and lots of other things that I probably wouldn’t feel comfortable being in real, adult life. Sometimes, at the end of a sparring session, I feel like I’m glowing. (I sweat buckets so I’m not wrong.) And I feel younger for it.

Everyone has their own version of fun. Some people’s inner-children want to sit inside with a book, whereas some want to go out and climb trees. Whatever ‘fun’ means to you, make sure you take some time to factor this into your week.

Give yourself permission. Let yourself feel the things that your inner-child wants to feel.

If nothing else, it’ll make the ‘adulting’ bit easier.