Putting From Back in Our Lives
By Tim Jack Adams
For the past seven years, GreenX7 has been measuring Australia’s wellbeing, consistently revealing that the nation’s fun quotient hovers just below the sleep score at around 5 out of 10. It’s not uncommon for people to confess, “I’ve forgotten how to have fun.“ Fun seems to have become an afterthought, squeezed into whatever time remains at the end of a busy week or before the next holiday.
On a related note, did you know that Australians spend less time outdoors than maximum security prisoners? Even scarier, our kids are down to less than 10 minutes of free play a day. Gone are the days of playing outdoors until the street lights came on. Today, children spend their free time indoors, glued to screens. Nature play, once a cherished part of childhood, is becoming a rarity. Even schools are reducing opportunities for students to play, despite an abundance of research highlighting the social and cognitive benefits of outdoor play.
Watersports Guru has witnessed this decline in outdoor play over the past 15 years. What was once a struggle to keep kids out of the water has now reversed, with many children opting for the virtual world over real-world play. The issue isn’t universal, as surf clubs, surf schools, and nature play programs on the Tweed Coast continue to offer outdoor experiences. However, it’s clear that a significant portion of our youth is missing out on the joys of unstructured outdoor play.
A recent incident at
Watersports Guru underscored the gravity of the situation when a child declared, ”I only play in the virtual world.“ This statement serves as a stark reminder of the direction we may be headed, reminiscent of a dystopian future where the virtual world replaces reality. It’s high time to rekindle the love for outdoor play, ensuring that our children grow up with cherished memories of exploring the natural world instead of being confined to a digital realm.
This lack of fun extends beyond personal lives to the workplace, where leadership’s insistence on a strictly work-first attitude has left employees feeling joyless. With loneliness on the rise and fun at an all-time low, it’s time to prioritise fun, reconnect, and reenergise. Here are ten compelling reasons why fun is essential, contributing to overall wellbeing and team cohesion:
1. Stress Reduction
2. Creativity and Imagination
3. Long-term Satisfaction
4. Cognitive Benefits
5. Emotional Regulation
6. Self-Expression
7. Relaxation and Joy
8. Mindfulness and Presence
9. Balance in Life
10. Resilience Building
But let’s not just talk about it; let’s put the fun back in our lives. Choose an activity you love, schedule it in your calendar, and invite someone to join you. It’s time to take your fun seriously because, as the saying goes, ”There’s no one scrap of evidence to say life should be taken seriously, so find something you love and do it often.“
Tim Jack Adams is a thought leader and speaker in the Wellness Industry and has created an overarching framework for wellbeing that enables leaders, teams and organisations to thrive sustainably.
He and his team have made it their mission to ’measure and improve Australia’s wellbeing’ and wants the Tweed to lead the way in nature based social prescribing, inspiring a prevention before prescription lifestyle.
You can connect with Tim at: tim@greenx7.com
