Every bright, fun-filled, cheery day of energetic Summer leaves very beneficial energies in its wake. When we take time to enjoy the warmth and light of the sun – with proper protection and in moderate amounts - whether directly or indirectly, we are taking advantage of the sun’s unique gifts.
The sun is the largest source of cosmic that pours over the earth.
It’s a primary driver of our weather.
It boosts our body's vitamin D supply which is produced by the skin's response to ultraviolet radiation. It helps keep our bones healthy and supports our immune system.
Both plants, animals and humans need the sun’s light to survive and grow. It works with our blood by cleansing it and encouraging better circulation.
It kills bad bacteria and mold spores.
It boosts serotonin in the brain to uplift our mood.
When we enjoy the sun’s many derivative gifts we feel better overall both physically and mentally. This can create a very positive momentum as feeling good attracts more of the same. The better we feel, the better we feel!
Summer is known for being the season of lively fun and social get-togethers. The fun we have during holidays, vacations, picnics and lazier Summer days and evenings spent outdoors or even indoors has its own set of health benefits.
Here are 15 spectacular benefits we can enjoy simply by having fun at any time of year, but especially during Summer:
1. Pain can be relieved. The two “L’s” leisure and laughing can help alleviate pain. When we put ourselves in leisurely situations that allow our bodies to relax, we release blocked pent up energy that may be exacerbating pain. And as we know, laughing is like medicine. We can be feeling poorly one minute, but once we start laughing, after a few minutes, we often may notice, we don’t feel poorly any more.
2. Brain function improves. As an example, the Swiss have reformed their educational system requiring children to study less and have more fun. It turns out that Swiss kids are now among the top performers in standardized testing. These students attend school fewer hours per week and they have more recess time. Swiss kids are proving that they learn better when they have more fun. Psychology Today shares in their article entitled, “The Neuroscience of Joyful Education,” that “brain research tells us that when the fun stops, learning often stops too.”
3. Creativity surges. Sometimes we just need to get the cobwebs out of our heads by creating enjoyable diversions for ourselves. A walk in the park, a visit to the lake or beach or time spent just sitting in a lawn chair enjoying our natural setting can be enough to clear mental pathways of creativity.
4. Mental and physical youth are fostered.
5. Relationships are strengthened when we’re having fun with others. We build connections and solidify social bonds so necessary for rewarding lives, wellness and beauty.
6. Emotional wounds may be healed.
7. Sleep patterns become more regulated as serotonin in the brain increases when we have fun in the sun.
8. Our memory is enhanced. By balancing our lives with pleasant experiences,
9. Our body temperature becomes more balanced (again because of increased serotonin levels).
10. Coping skills seem to be magically more available to us. Having fun helps us to strike a balance in life. When we achieve sensible balance in all or at least most arenas of our lives, things that used to bother us no longer do. We become more resilient. We respond instead of react.
11. Our physical energy increases. Having fun causes us to use or hold our bodies differently and in a way that supports our flow of energy.
12. Overall positive feelings and attitudes become the norm for us.
13. We become more productive in our lives. Happy people experience tend to experience more abundance of all kinds.
14. LOVE happens! When we’re having fun, our hearts open.
15. We become transformed at a cellular level. No thing or experience in the human being is isolated. We are holistic beings who experience within what we experience without.
Editor's Note: This post was originally published May 8, 2017 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.
Photo by Gianna Ciaramello at Unsplash
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Sources:
Willis, Judy. “Engaging the Whole Child: The Neuroscience of Joyful Education Brain Research Tells Us That When the Fun Stops, Learning Often Stops Too.” Psychology Today, https://www.psychologytoday.com/files/attachments/4141/the-neuroscience-joyful-education-judy-willis-md.pdf
Lieberman, Isador H. “Vitamin D Can Reduce Back Pain.” Spine Universe, 2018, www.spineuniverse.com/conditions/back-pain/vitamin-d-can-reduce-back-pain.
