30 days of giving - Day #9: The lost art of play
Remember being a kid? You know when you were little and had no cares in the world? Yes, that time so long ago that you hardly remember? Or, maybe you have vivid memories of being a kid.
Remember when all you had to worry about was who you were going to play with and what you
were going to play? I remember playing Barbies inside and outside for the entire day on Saturday. The day couldn't have been long enough. Or the days we ran outside playing kick-the-can with our friends or played on the monkey bars in the park. What happend to those days?
Of course, there comes a time when we must grow up and take on adult responsibilities but who ever said we must stop playing in order to be responsible?
Somewhere along the line we think that it is no longer "adult-like" to play. However, play has been shown to have many benefits to adults, including:
- Enhance happiness
- Enhance health
- Decrease anxiety and depression.
- Strengthen emotional connections and relationships with others.
- Reduce stress
- Enhance creativity
- Spark inspiration
Some large corporations have play rooms where their employees can take a few minutes everyday to play, relax and develop creative thoughts and insiration for higher productivity.
When is the last time you played? What do you do to play?
Here are some ideas:
- Join a sports team
- Color, alone or with children and friends. This is becoming increasingly popular amongst adults
- Laugh with friends. Take a laughter yoga class or go to a comedy club
- Have a snowball, or water, fight
- Skip with a rope or just down the street. Yes, it may feel silly but you will smile and have a blast!
- Build sand castles or make snow angels
There are so many things you can do to add some fun and play in your life. If you are unsure as to what kind of play you want to do start with thinking about the things you liked to do as a child. This will give you a clue as to some of the things you might enjoy doing now.
