We spend so much of our lives with a weight of responsibility on our shoulders, sometimes even the weight of the world, performing in this role as ‘adult’. It can be overwhelming just handling the day-to-day stresses and strains and that’s before you reach the wider news and take on the sadness of our planet.
We can feel drained, exhausted, lost, confused, even numb. We can feel guilty for laughing and having fun when there is so much suffering in the world.
Play can be an antidote to this exhaustion, this overwhelm, this weight we carry. Play has so many benefits, for example:
- It boosts creativity
- It relieves stress
- It reduces overthinking
- It releases endorphins, our body’s natural feel-good chemicals
- It nurtures relationships – not only with others but with yourself
- It reminds you of simpler times
There is an energy in playfulness. A freedom to be found in having fun. A lightness. A spark. A deep inner joy. A return to the simple essence of what it is to be human.
My daughter lives in a perpetual land of play. It’s beautiful.
Whereas, over the past week, I have felt a heaviness, a sadness, a fog, and I found myself feeling enveloped in fear. I feel blessed that I have the tools to approach the unease… my mindfulness faces it, embraces it, acknowledging it with love. However, it has been my daughter’s free-spirited fun that has helped to clear the anxious haze and let the light in.
So, I invite you to play.
dance
sing
draw
make up a story
play a game
doodle
make something
Can you find some time to play today?
