How to Incorporate Play Into Your Life - Rediscovering Passion

 

Why Is Play Important In Life?

Play is an essential part of life. It can reduce stress, improve physical health, and increase your overall well-being. Play is also a great way to bond with family and friends, learn new skills, and become more creative. Plus, it's just plain fun!

How Can I Restore Fun in My Life?

You can restore fun in your life by setting aside time every day to play. You don't need a lot of time to create fun moments; even taking 15 minutes out of the day is enough to make a positive difference. Here are some ideas for how you can incorporate more play into your life:

1. Spend Time Outdoors

Fresh air and sunshine can help clear your head and bring joy to your life. Even if you only have a few minutes to spare, take a walk around your neighborhood or go for a bike ride. If you’re able to, find an outdoor activity that interests you such as hiking, kayaking or even birdwatching!

2. Get Creative

Creative activities are an excellent way to express yourself and have fun. Try drawing, painting, writing, or playing music. You can also get creative with cooking or building models with Legos®. Getting crafty is a great way to de-stress and nurture your creativity!

3. Play a Game

Playing games with your friends can be a fun way to bond and have some laughs. Games like cards, chess, or board games have been around for centuries and are still popular today. Or you can play video games or online multiplayer games together!

4. Exercise

Exercising doesn't have to be boring. Find activities that you enjoy and make it into a game. Whether it's playing tag, going on a scavenger hunt or just racing your friends, exercise can be fun if you make it playful.

5. Make Time for Fun

It’s important to plan time for play in your life. Set aside 15-30 minutes each day to do something that you enjoy. This could include reading a book, watching your favorite show, or simply taking some time for yourself. Finding moments to just relax can help clear your mind and restore balance in your life.

Incorporating play into your life doesn't have to be hard; it's about finding activities that bring joy and having fun with it. So take the time to enjoy life and get creative! Who knows, you might even find something new that you love.

Benefits of Play

Incorporating play into your life can have many positive benefits.

Some of them are as follows:

1. Improved Brain Function: Playing games, puzzles or doing other creative activities can help increase your cognitive abilities, including thinking and problem-solving skills.

2. Stress Relief: When you take part in fun activities, the body releases endorphins that can reduce stress and make you feel better.

3. Improved Social Skills: Playing games or engaging in creative activities with others can help build relationships, improve communication and foster teamwork.

4. Improved Mental Health: Having fun and doing something you enjoy can be great for your mental health. It provides a sense of accomplishment and helps boost self-esteem and confidence.

Why Do We Forget to Play?

There are many reasons why we forget to play, life gets in the way. Here are just a few of them:

1. We’re Too Busy: In our hectic lives, it can be hard to find time for fun activities. We become so focused on work or everyday tasks that we forget to make time for play.

2. Fear of Failure: Fear of failure or not being good at something can stop us from engaging in playful activities. We may be afraid of looking silly or not succeeding, so we avoid any activity that involves risk-taking or trying something new.

3. Lack of Confidence: Low self-confidence can make it hard to enjoy yourself and have fun. It can lead us to focus on our flaws instead of celebrating our successes.

4. Fear of Judgment: We may be so concerned about what others think that we don’t want to engage in activities that could bring attention to us or make us look silly.

It’s important to remember that incorporating play into your life is essential for your overall health and well-being. So take the time to enjoy life and get creative! Who knows, you might even find something new that you love.

What Happens When We Don't "Play" Enough?

When we don’t make time for play and fun activities, it can have some negative consequences. These include:

1. Increased Stress: When we don’t allow ourselves to have fun, our stress levels can increase. Not having an outlet to release energy or frustration can lead to burnout and feeling overwhelmed.

2. Poor Mental Health: When we don’t make time for play, our mental health can suffer. We can become resentful and bitter, or feel a lack of motivation or creativity.

3. Low Self-esteem: Not engaging in enjoyable activities can lead to feelings of low self-worth. It can be hard to have a positive outlook on life if we don’t make time for activities that bring us joy.

4. Poor Physical Health: When we don’t make time for play, our physical health can suffer too. Lack of exercise and movement can lead to increased risk of serious diseases and medical conditions like obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

If you are in the market for a wonderful book about the concept of play in life, I cannot recommend Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination and Invigorates the Soul by Stuart Brown enough. (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

Do you want more personalized help with adding play to your life?  Don’t hesitate to reach out here.

Interested in Learning More About the Importance of Having Enough Play in Your Life?

Here are some additional resources to time management articles.  Please Google the titles below.

Staying Young at Heart: Why Adults Should Be Playing More - Fix

Tales of Creativity and Play – Ted Talk

 
2ndYvonne Havlicek