Play More!

Finding ways to play more is one of the best actions you can take for your health. The benefits of play for physical, emotional, and mental health are well documented, but if you ask yourself how you feel afterward, you’ll need no further proof.

Play has many benefits.

Play helps you cope with stress, enhances your mood, encourages physical activity, stimulates your mind, enables you to think more creatively, and improves relationships. Play can even boost immunity. The National Institute for Play calls it “the gateway to vitality.”

What is play, anyway?

In “Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul,” Stuart Brown, M.D. writes that “play is a state of mind rather than an activity.” He defines play as engaging in an enjoyable, apparently purposeless activity that is absorbing, self-motivating, and provides a suspension of self-consciousness and sense of time. Simply put, play is fun!

Do you need more play in your life?

Every season, I spend some time reflecting on what areas of my life need attention and are out of balance. I realized I was missing a sense of playfulness, and I’m thinking about how to increase that area of my life. If you feel like I do, I invite you to discover activities you find joyful and fun.

Start by brainstorming.

Start by listing out some of the activities you loved as a kid. I loved to draw and color, ride my bike, swim, explore, collect things (rocks, seashells), bake with my Mom, and hang out with my friends. Can you incorporate some of those into your life now? You might do them differently as an adult or revisit them in a new way. 

Keep in mind the preconditions for fun.

In “The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again,” Catherine Price lists some of the preconditions of fun. She says fun requires us to be present, undistracted, and in flow. It’s important that we not feel judged or self-conscious and that we have a sense of playfulness about the outcome. Being with other people enhances fun.

I went to a painting class with a friend. Although I loved art as a child, I knew that my key to enjoying it now was to not be perfectionistic about my final painting. I decided to enjoy the process, have fun dabbling in paint, and have a great time with my friend and new people. I loved it!

Physical activity and time in nature are playful.

Spending time in nature has myriad inherent health benefits, and physical activity is one of the foundations of good health. Can you think of something fun that incorporates both of those elements? I love to ride my bike on a local trail, and I also love hiking. You might want to consider canoeing, kayaking, snowshoeing, running, gardening, jumping rope, or even playing outside with your dog and throwing a ball!

Find a way to be social.

Can you think of a way to make your fun more social? It’s easy to find local hiking and walking groups. I’m a big fan of Meetup. I even have my own Meetup group, Lehigh Valley Health and Wellness. Come join us if you are in the Allentown, PA area! Join a sports team in your community or even at work. Find or create a book club or a quilting circle, or take a cooking or photography class. Play board games with friends or go dancing. Join a drum circle! The possibilities are endless.

Let your sense of fun and playfulness develop over time.

Don’t worry if thinking of new playful and fun activities is challenging. As soon as you focus on it, you will start seeing opportunities everywhere. Try new things. You will love some of them, others not so much. Have a sense of adventure about it and take the pressure off. You are learning and developing new sides of yourself. Not only will your health benefit, but you will also find more overall joy and happiness!

Let me know in the comments below what is fun for you or what new activities you want to try. Let’s give each other new ideas!

Sources:

https://living.aahs.org/behavioral-health/the-benefits-of-play-for-adults/
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/benefits-of-play-for-adults.htm