Are you playing enough?
Play, by definition is, “to engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose.” Play is an integral part of childhood. We play in so many different ways, we build new worlds, characters, invent languages, create storylines, and embody different roles. When we play, we laugh, learn, and connect. Unfortunately, play is often lost in adulthood. While play often looks different for children and adults, its importance stays the same. For children, play is their language, helping them explore their internal and external world. It remains an avenue of exploration and expression for adults as well. Research shows that play enhances learning and memory for adults, as well as being a vital part of strengthening our imagination and creative muscles, necessary to solve problems. Play is a way to reduce your stress, physiologically changing the brain and body. Play helps you connect with yourself and others in endless types of ways.
Knowing how important play is, be honest with yourself, are you playing enough? Given the definition of play, it can pretty much look like anything. Maybe you enjoy creative writing, painting, dancing, or playing games. It can also look like hiking, sports, or going to the lake. Remember when you were a kid and you could pretty much play anywhere with anything? It’s no different as an adult, you just have to give yourself the freedom to do it. Playing is simply doing something just because you like it. Not every moment of every day needs to be productive to be valuable. Humans have created SO MANY types and ways to play throughout history, its an innate part of our being. So lets play!
Questions to ponder:
What did you enjoy playing as a kid and what types of play do you enjoy as an adult?
How do you feel when you are playing?
How can you prioritize more play in your life?
