Does Life Begin to Flow When You Have More Fun?
A few months ago, after reading The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, I unconsciously experienced what she describes as a 180-degree shift. Slowly, I stopped doing the things that had kept me grounded over the previous months. My morning pages disappeared. My yoga practice became inconsistent. I stopped drawing. I stopped meditating. Without realizing it, I had drifted away from the habits that nourished my creativity and sense of self.
Instead, I found myself caught in familiar loops of worry. I worried about the future, deadlines, immigration bureaucracy, career decisions, and whether I was doing enough. My mind became occupied with solving problems before they even existed.
As migrants, many of us know this state very well. Moving to another country teaches you to be prepared. You learn to anticipate obstacles, navigate unfamiliar systems, and adapt quickly to uncertainty. You become resilient because you have no other choice. But sometimes there is a hidden cost to that resilience. You become so focused on surviving that you forget how to play.
A few weeks ago, I came across a simple question that resonated deeply with the season of life I was in and completely reframed how I approached my daily routine:
How can I make this situation more fun?
I started asking myself that question at work, during creative projects, while planning events, and when approaching tasks I usually resisted. Then something unexpected happened. The anxious energy that had been following me around suddenly felt lighter. The self-critical voice became quieter. It was as if I had been trapped inside an illusion and could finally see the trick behind it.
At the same time, I remembered something that feels deeply familiar to many Latin Americans: our relationship with humor. We laugh in difficult moments. We make jokes during stressful situations. We find ways to create joy even when life feels uncertain. For a long time, I thought this was simply a cultural trait with no particular purpose. Now I see how valuable it can be as a tool.
Because the way I see it now, resilience is not only about enduring hardship. It is not only about pushing through challenges and proving how strong we are. Resilience can also be about sustaining a certain state of softness and play, even when circumstances feel unmovable.
The moment I began focusing less on outcomes and more on enjoyment, life started to feel different. I became more curious. More open. More willing to engage with the world around me. I enrolled in events. I met interesting new people. I discovered opportunities that had previously gone unnoticed. Not because my circumstances had dramatically changed, but because my attention had shifted.
I stopped approaching life as a series of problems to solve and started approaching it as an experience to participate in.
Maybe one of the most valuable lessons migration has taught me is that building a life abroad is not only about becoming stronger and enduring as much as you can. It's also about remembering how to return to that sense of childlike playfulness and wonder.
Lately, whenever I catch myself spiraling into worry, I ask myself the same question:
How can I make this situation more fun?
This question has become an open invitation to experience life with a little less of the unnecessary seriousness it can sometimes carry. It's a reminder to protect my sense of play, curiosity, and wonder, even in moments of uncertainty.
So if you're currently navigating uncertainty, building a life far from home, or simply feeling stuck in cycles of worry, I hope this question helps you as much as it has helped me.
Maybe the answer will surprise you.
With love,
Val
