Whimsy and 10 Side Quests You Can Do to Help Your Brain
In everyday life, it is easy to move from one task to the next without noticing the small things around us. Whimsy is the practice of finding wonder in ordinary moments. Incorporating moments of play, curiosity, and delight can make routines feel less repetitive and more engaging. For example, take a different route home, invent a backstory for a stranger while people-watching, or give yourself a silly challenge for the day. These small acts of whimsy encourage creativity, can help you stay present, and serve as reminders that not every moment has to be productive to be meaningful.
Your brain doesn’t always need more information, sometimes it needs wonder and curiosity. Morton-Buckleair stated that "When we act a little ridiculous, we’re boosting oxytocin, decreasing cortisol, and creating positive new pathways in our brain" (as cited in Ahlering, 2025). Being whimsical or finding whimsy is good for you.
10 Whimsical Side Quests
Watch the clouds for ten minutes. Pretend that you are a professional cloud watcher. Make pictures with the clouds, tell yourself a story about them, or just notice them.
Head to the library or a book store and tuck a positive note or quote inside a book for a future reader to find.
Dress dramatically for an ordinary task. Wear the ballgown to the grocery store or the “I have no where to wear this outfit” to buy toothpaste. Stop waiting for a special occasion and let the occasion be toothpaste.
Buy yourself a tiny treat. A pastry, a fun sticker, a single flower. Remember that life isn’t just bills, deadlines, and emails.
Draw the view from your window in under two minutes. This helps your brain pay attention to the present moment.
Eat your meal in reverse. Start with a dessert just for the fun of breaking up your routine.
Choose a color in the morning, collect photos of things matching that color by the day’s end.
Drink tea like you are staring out to sea waiting for your long lost sailor to come home. Just you and your drink.
Visit a local place you have never been before. Become a tourist in your own city.
Turn an everyday task into a game. Race a timer while folding laundry, or doing the weekly grocery shopping, or cleaning your room.
Brennah Bell, MSW, SWLC
Reference
Ahlering, N. (2025, June 30). Does your life need more whimsy? The Good Trade.