How to Have Fun Like a Child Again

As I've gotten older, I--like many of us--have had less fun. But is that a terminal diagnosis? Are we doomed to stop having fun as we age? Of course not. So why are we having less fun? What can we do differently? Why is having fun important in the first place?

Sources:

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[momoney]

You write and orate so well!! Being bored and simply existing is a pleasure I enjoy after work every day. Just sitting in my yard with my cat!

[amiezwag]

"When you lie on your deathbed, there is a 0% chance that you'll say-"
"Because I own a small business, joining Qantas business rewards was a no-brainer."

Perfect spot for an ad 😌

[tobydandelion]

Reducing overstimulation and redeveloping patience is good for everyone, too!

The message you're sharing is so important right now.

10:19 Yes this! All supernormal stimuli have the potential to be addictive and harmful because our brains were literally not wired for so much dopamine.

[whatsyourname]

Every time I watch your videos I cannot believe how little views they get, you are seriously one of the few creators who are doing actually meaningful videos that contribute something new instead of reciting the same three things that I already know just packaged differently.

Maybe a different style of thumbnails would really help with the performance of your videos. I've noticed over the past months that a lot of creators who share similar content have very simplistic thumbnails that are just them sitting in a room or something with maybe a picture or two, and I feel like that would also help attract the right audience to your channel. I sometimes catch myself scrolling past your videos because I see the illustration and my brain automatically goes "probably Ai generated slop, nothing new" and blanks it out without a second thought. Having your face on the thumbnail and reflecting the video style more accurately on your thumbnails might greatly boost recognition value and thus performance, so maybe you could experiment with that for a while.

[aHeroWithNames]

Been around since your "How to get back your childhood brain back", and, looking back after watching this video, I'm making progress! I had a small epiphany the other day that happened after a cartoonishly embarassing accident of my own making similar to yours. It made me reconsider my approach to life.

So, I got ill--it's spring flu time here--but I couldn't even allow myself to get well properly. I still tried to cram some work and chores, and also decided to clean my laptop (a cognitively demanding task that requires intense focus) because its fans sounded like they could use some cleaning. My mind couldn't concentrate on the moment. The grindset, the chores, tasks, homework, on top of me being mentally and physically exhausted.

In the end, I couldn't focus on the task because of illness, on top of my overstimulated and scattered mind, on top of overburdening myself with a barrage of tasks, and so... I broke my laptop. On top of making me cry (which doesn't happen much), it hammered down a realization in me of how stupid living like that is.

I tried to relax for the rest of the week, drink more herbal tea and milk, chill in the bed, watch some anime and read a book for once. All just to get better, physically *and* spiritually. It was so simple. Yet so cathartic. Downshifting of the mind. And your videos helped me process this, helped me remember that I'm not alone. That there is a way out of this mess.

These last few weeks I've been getting bored without feeling anxious that I'm wasting my time. Honestly, it feels like I couldn't return to this state ever since COVID happened. I'm actually allowing my thoughts to appear like floating bubbles, ponder on them, remember something interesting that I've learned recently to store it better in the long-term memory, note some of the cooler ideas, reject on them and recent events. I still use media, but I don't feel this grip anymore--that I must kill my consciousness to escape the responsibility anxiety of having to constantly do something.

And after watching this video, I've yet again noted how to keep improving. And to remember to keep taking breaks where they're due, because it's not all about responsibility and constantly improving. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, teach. You're so inspiring.

[axoNNNessj]

Really needed to hear this today. Thank you!
I started experimenting with doing things in slowmotion. It feels quite wonderful in many ways, combining reduced stimulation, mindfulness, boredom, patience, intentionality all in one silly little fun exercise. (Mindlessly scrolling very quickly becomes mindful when it takes 7 seconds to swipe up a single time haha)
But really, this video was just what I needed this evening to get my perspective back up.

[stargirl..hannah]

It's absolutely not new to say that the media has reduced fun among teens, but it's so important and I feel like it's so overlooked. Even looking around highschools, "fun" is still around just in arguably "bad/worse" forms. The whole idea of nonchalant culture and people having to be chill (basically just giving up everything interesting about their own personalities) will forever be my biggest op 💀.
I loveee the book Anxious generation, ended up writing a massive Sociology paper about the effects of media on younger generations because of that book.
Also horrified that short form content can possibly lead to chronic diseases, TIME TO LOG OFF LMAOO...

[thebosstuna]

I knew you'd say this "Our frontal lobes literally don't physically finish developing until around 25". It's true, but also don't forget about the ~20% of us who are neurodiverse and only finish this same development at around THIRTY-FIVE (35). And I agree, we must willingly do what we don't want (work, chores) in order to achieve what we want (freedom, fun). The key to enjoyment is to not seek either pleasure nor pain, but homeosthasis.

[lina_ras]

Thank you for the new video!
You've become one of my favorite YouTube creators in just a month or two. The topics you choose really hit close for me. You offer a lot of insight into the journey of breaking free from social media\general media addiction, so I'm really happy you released a new video, especially after what happened with your previous project. Your decision to keep uploading really shows your inner strength

[AegixDrakan]

This actually justified so many of the small choices I make. Avoiding politics content on the weekends (especially these days). Not endlessly scrolling on my phone (helped by not having internet on my phone). Not being super interested in short-format video content. And positive choices like enjoying weekly TTRPGs with friends, choosing to hang out with friends, keeping my pot night to one night a week, and above all, not being ashamed of being a goofball who loves fun.

Like, seriously, I hoodwinked my friends into weekly watch-parties of Samurai Pizza Cats out of a sense of nostalgia (and realizing how the show really *is* still hilarious some 30 years later), and it's been a *boon* to my mental health these days. XD