The importance of play
When did life get so serious? Adulting is hard work, responsibility, stress, a never-ending list of to do's. I'm definitely someone who can take life a bit too seriously, and I often stop to remind myself to chill the f**** out. Remember when we used to play all day? When we used markers to color with reckless abandon, no thoughts about how our picture would come out or worries regarding whether others would like it? We colored for ourselves, we created for the heck of it. We played with other kids, using our imaginations to create story lines for make-believe. When I led art therapy groups for children I noticed as kids got older, they requested pencils more often, so they could erase their 'mistakes'. The kindergarteners generally reached for crayons and markers, rarely asking for pencils, thoughts of mistakes far from the forefront of their minds.
Play is not only fun, it's critical to our happiness and well-being. Children learn through play, and play contributes to healthy cognitive development so those minds can learn even more (read more about it here). Laughter, often goes hand in hand with play and is not only shown to reset a positive emotional climate, but to also promote healthy bonding in relationships. Significant others bond with one another through play, connecting and diffusing negative emotions through laughter. Parents bond with their children through play, and this bond sets the tone for what later gets termed as attachment, the foundation on which all other relationships are built upon. Play says to the other "you are enjoyable", and to yourself "this person is fun" as well as "I'm fun, or life is fun". The problem is, as we age, laughter and play decline. We don't have recess scheduled into our work day or art projects on our lunch breaks. We get home from work and plop down in front of the television, or attend to other chores (e.g. exercise, cooking dinner, laundry) and simply haven't created a climate in which play has a priority. When I had difficult times, my husband would throw me on the bed and I would laugh like I did during childhood, the anger or despair crushed beneath the lightness of laughter. Creativity, art, and humor can all be forms of play. Forget about what others will think. Forget about whether you will like the finished result, or whether you will look goofy doing it. Life shouldn't be so serious and play shouldn't be only for the young.
Below are a few adult ways to play:
- Joking around with your significant other or cracking jokes with your friends
- Making funny faces in the mirror or at someone else
- Tickling
- Art, photography, adult coloring, playing music
- Literally playing games
- Leaving funny notes for significant others, co-workers, and/or friends
- Googly eyes on random objects (this one is a super fun prank)
- Silly dances, or jumps (like the one pictured above)
The picture above was taken on a random day out with my husband shooting pictures. We had so much fun getting this picture, laughing as my husband jumped in the air over and over while I tried to snap the picture at the right moment. It was fun. It was play. And it reminded me that moments like these are the ones I live for.