Play For Stress Relief
When did you stop playing? Did you stop? If you play now, how has it changed since childhood? If you play, how do you keep it balanced with work? Or are they synonymous for you? There are so many types of play to consider: playing with fire, playing with someone’s mind, playing with yourself, just playing around, etc. What affect does your play have on others? I’m going to assume here that play has a positive intention (omitting what deviants would beg)…
I talk with a lot of people who say they have no time for play because they are so busy working. What that tells me is that they 1) may not like their jobs, 2) they aren’t allowed playtime at work, or 3) they won’t allow themselves time to play. Many people express feeling guilt about play… or taking any time for themselves for their own creative pursuit. If you feel guilty about playing, how has that feeling served you so far?
If you give, give, give in the form of work, and never stop to receive, at some point you will give all you can until your job is done, and then you will have no choice but to stop and smell the flowers, play online scrabble, or pick up the kids early for ice cream at the park. On the other hand, if you just horse around all the time and/or do only unto yourself…eventually you will saturate your hedonism and will feel like giving back…or working.
So, why the extremes? Why can’t we work and play in balance? What would that balance look like for you? If you could learn to play without pressure of being “grown up”, what would you do? Creativity is necessary for brain development…for sensory integration and the development of new problem solving skills. Play also allows you to de-stress so that you are healthy enough to work.
What if you tried one new creative or playful activity each day? I double-dare you 
Tags: balance, creativity, de-stress, guilt, play, stress relief
