Want To Meet After Dark For a Game of Flashlight Tag? Play Shouldn't End at Childhood, Here's Why...

When was the last time you had Fun & PLAYED?

You are an adult, you have responsibilities, work, bills, kids,....? You may feel playing is just for Kids? Wrong.

There are so many benefits to adult playing. Increased creativity, productivity and feelings of wellbeing.

Playful adults have the ability to transform everyday situations into something more entertaining. I am not saying that playful adults don't have stress, but it appears that they react to them differently. Allowing stress to roll off more easily than those who don't. Somewhere between childhood and adulthood, we stopped playing. When we carve out some leisure time, we’re more likely to zone out in front of the TV or computer than engage in fun, rejuvenating play like we did as children. Put down your phones, turn off the TV & PLAY!

Play helps:

Relieve stress. Play is fun and can trigger the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain.

Improve brain function. Playing chess, completing puzzles, or pursuing other fun activities that challenge the brain can help prevent memory problems and improve brain function. The social interaction of playing with family and friends can also help ward off stress and depression.

Stimulate the mind and boost creativity. Young children often learn best when they are playing—a principle that applies to adults, as well. You’ll learn a new task better when it’s fun and you’re in a relaxed and playful mood. Play can also stimulate your imagination, helping you adapt and solve problems.

Improve relationships and your connection to others. Sharing laughter and fun can foster empathy, compassion, trust, and intimacy with others. Play doesn’t have to include a specific activity; it can also be a state of mind. Developing a playful nature can help you loosen up in stressful situations, break the ice with strangers, make new friends, and form new business relationships.

Keep you feeling young and energetic. In the words of George Bernard Shaw, “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” Play can boost your energy and vitality and even improve your resistance to disease, helping you function at your best.

NEED SOME IDEAS?

There are many ways that we can play and many others categories of play. Below are just a few.

Rough-and-Tumble Play

Rough-and-tumble play is a great learning medium for all of us. Diving, batting, tug-of-war, capture the flag, scavenger hunts, kickball, and dodge ball are all ways to play actively.

Ritual Play

Chess, board games, and activities or sports with set rules and structures all fall into the world of ritual play. It is in ritual play that we can create, strategize, design, and engage in activities that bring people together for a common purpose or goal.

Imaginative Play

Remember when you were a child and had so much fun living out your fantasies and letting your imagination run wild? This is what imaginative play is all about! Storytelling, painting, drawing, crafting, and acting, as well as comedy and improv classes all foster our imaginations through play. Go On a creative RETREAT, immerse yourself in a block of time for just play

Body Play

Brown defines body play as a spontaneous desire to get ourselves out of gravity—how much fun is this form of play! Yoga, Pilates, hiking, whitewater rafting, riding roller coasters, mountain climbing, surfing, and snorkeling all fit the mold of body play.

Object Play

This form of play will really bring us back to our childhoods as object play can encompass building with Legos, playing with Jenga blocks, building fortresses, and can even having snowball fights. Manipulation of objects, building, and designing all fall into the object play category.

The positive benefits of playing and the side effects of playing are improved cognitive functioning, being able to deal with stress with greater ease and fluidity, creative thinking, childlike exuberance, and laughing more often.

Experiment a bit to find what works for you, as we all could use a bit more play in our responsible, adult lives.

Leave some comments below on how you plan to add more play into your live.

XOXO,

Missy