Feeling restless? Level up your life by starting a side quest

Feeling stuck, bored or restless in life? You might be ready to start a side quest. In video games, it's a mission that deviates from the main storyline, helping to build the world's lore . In real life, it's an activity that doesn't serve any other purpose than bringing more whimsy into your day-to-day. Westend61/Getty Images hide caption

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When was the last time you did something just for fun? Like skipped down the sidewalk, roller-skated or learned a new language without the pressure of becoming fluent?

In other words, when was the last time you took a side quest?

The term comes from video games. It's a mission that deviates from the main storyline, helping to build the world and add flavor to the experience.

But in real life, it's an activity that doesn't serve any other purpose than bringing more whimsy and exploration into your day-to-day. And it's a great way of practicing play and opening up new possibilities, especially if you're feeling stuck, tense or restless.

"Just like in the gaming world, it makes the main quest stronger. It gives it more nuance or new dimension or brings out a facet of you that you convinced yourself you couldn't [be]," says Kyra Gaunt, an ethnomusicologist and the author of The Games Black Girls Play: Learning the Ropes From Double-Dutch to Hip-Hop .

Research has shown that play can help us adapt to difficult circumstances, practice survival skills, problem-solve and collaborate. "Doing something you've not done before will open up the brain's different neural networks," Gaunt says. "You'll get this sense of wonder and awe."