Importance of Play
Play is one of our human needs.
Have you ever noticed how much better you feel after laughing, smiling, or doing something you enjoy?
It makes such a difference to our mental / emotional health, and it is a healthy part of nurturing the relationships in your lives. Yet, so many adults lack play in their lives.
Lately, I have found myself thinking about this for a few reasons.
This year has forced us to do a lot of things differently, including how we socialize and have fun. With the pandemic maintaining a strong presence in our lives, we have had to find new ways to still engage in socialization, fun, and play.
With winter coming during a pandemic, what can we do to make sure we still have ways to play?
This year has been especially difficult for a number of reasons with many things that feel out of our control. Actively engaging in things we enjoy is one way to gain back a sense of control in our lives.
Adulthood comes with a lot of new responsibilities that seem to outweigh the importance of play. Wouldn’t it be great to see how much adults might be affected by playing more often? My guess is we would all be (at least a bit) happier and less stressed and overwhelmed, which would lead to better mental health, greater life satisfaction, and improved relationships.
My husband and I are very playful and goofy, and it definitely helps nurture our relationship. It feels like it keeps us and our relationship young and exciting!
With all of that, take a moment to reflect.
How do you incorporate play into your life? How often? How do you feel when you do vs. times when you don’t? How can you incorporate it more often within your own life and within relationships that are important to you? What ways of play would you like to try or do more often?
Random List of Ways to Incorporate Play Into Your Life:
Try new hobbies. My husband and I picked up kayaking this summer and fell in love with it!
Find an exercise / movement activity that you find enjoyable. Walking, yoga, playing a sport - so many options to explore.
Tap into your inner child. Play Legos. Make a tie dye shirt. Blow bubbles. Have a water balloon fight. Watch your favorite childhood movie.
Join or start a book club (or other socialization club).
Try a new restaurant or recipe for dinner.
Eat your favorite food for breakfast.
Go out to breakfast in your pajamas (and mask, of course!).
Paint your nails fun colors.
Have a game night.
Have a dance party, photo shoot, or karaoke night - solo or not.
Have a themed movie night. Maybe even dress up in a costume related to the theme.
Throw a (small, socially distanced) beach party in the winter months.
Listen to your favorite music and take a new route or scenic drive this weekend.
Schedule time for a date night with your partner. Or make it spontaneous, if you can!
Take time with your partner to reflect on what each of you finds fun / playful within your relationship and do those things more often.
There are so many things you can do to play! Try something from this list, search Google for more ideas, or tap into your own creativity to think of some ideas of how you can play.
What will you do this weekend to play and have fun?