Hello again friends! In my other job, as a teacher, I have known for a long time, how important play is for children. They fully immerse themselves in what they are doing, living completely in the moment, experiencing joy, and learning as they go.
We all know that as adults we do not truly play, not the way we did when we were kids.
Sure, we have hobbies, or interests. We have moments of true joy, but they are fleeting. Most of us do not make this joy a priority, allowing the daily struggles and responsibilities we face to take over our lives. It’s time for a change!
In the education world, play has become a priority. In fact, we open the day with free play, every single day; so that children can learn and thrive in a creative environment.
I recently attended a seminar put on by a local psychologist. The topic was self-care for parents, and engaging in play was one of her suggestions! Whether you are a parent, or not, if you are an adult who is working and participating in the daily grind, this is for you!
The importance of play in your life cannot be ignored. You need to play. You will be happier, livelier, and healthier, if you do this.
Play, it’s not just for kids! We adults need time to play as well. We need to allocate time, daily, weekly, or whenever you can spare a few minutes, to do something that is just for us, and just for fun.
Once we establish what we like to do for play, we need to be better at scheduling this activity in, so we can experience this joy on a regular basis, ultimately feeling better about ourselves, and our lives.
The criteria for play is:
- you feel immersed/you lose track of time and place
- you feel a sense of joy
- there is no outcome or goal to this activity, its just for enjoyment
- it has a beginning and an end (you don’t need to finish it up later)
- you are not earning money for it
- there is no pressure involved
- you feel good about yourself afterward/more confident
Now you may be thinking, what can you do for play?
The answer is whatever you enjoy doing when you have free time! You feel happy doing this activity, and you don’t feel an obligation to it. However you may find that you come back to it time and time again because it makes you feel good when you do it.
For me, I like running to my favourite music, and I like writing (here on this blog!).
I am learning that it is not just ok, but necessary, to not attach an outcome to these activities. The perfectionist in me would want to have a goal for running, or for my blog. But I am learning that if I enjoy the activity in itself, that is good enough. I don’t need it to amount to anything. Just a pattern of joyful moments, that make me feel good about myself.
Apparently even cooking or cleaning can be a form of play, if you enjoy it!
Some other examples of play:
- dancing
- pottery
- painting
- sewing
- sketching
- photography
- swimming
- baking
- reading
- general exercise
- golfing
- fishing
- arts and crafts
- textiling
- and etc!
To sum up, play is something you can do for yourself to increase your sense of happiness and wellbeing. Make time for the thing that gets you out of your own head, and into the present moment. Do that thing, and do it often. When life is joyful, it is better lived.
That is all for now lovelies. I would love to hear what you do for play. Let me know in the comments below!
