It’s cold and dark out. In the Seattle area, we call this January. We are a few weeks out from Christmas and New Years. Our homes are put back to order, for many our New Years resolutions are put back on the shelf—to be revisited at the end of the year. A common refrain that I have been hearing is one of tired and listlessness. There is also an increase in anxiety and depression with the fast-paced Omicron. The way that Omicron is spreading it is leading to questions of when vs if. We are all longing for something. We are tired. This has been a long two years of living in a pandemic. For many our resiliency is frayed.
Where do we go from here? We need to play. We need to increase our play, our adventure and our rest. "The opposite of play is not work - the opposite of play is depression." Says Dr. Stuart Brown, founder of the National Institute for Play. We have been working hard, especially during this pandemic. We are in desperate need for levity. All good play leaves us more refreshed and feeling alive at the end of it.
For many adults when we think of play, we think we don’t have time for it:
· it’s a thing from our past
· we are too busy
· when we complete ----, we will have time for it.
I would like to argue the opposite. If we do not make time for play and adventure, we will begin to experience a breakdown of our bodies and our minds. We are wired for play. Children are creative, curious, and inventive. Somewhere along the way we lose sight of this and our capacity for play gets replaced with a demand for productivity and accomplishment. Do you remember the last time you laughed until you had tears streaming down your face? Or you settled in to watch a good movie--and you really watched the movie instead of being on your phone or computer?
How do we reconnect with play? Good play always involves risk. Enough risk that you are required to be all in. In good play there is no past or future, there is just the present. The beauty of this is the definition of good play is unique to you. The possibilities are endless, but the result is the same—Restoration.
What are some ways that you get recharged? Here are some examples of restorative play:
· Working on a puzzle
· Hiking
· Skiing
· Sitting by water
· Bird watching
· Cooking
· Trying a new restaurant
· Going for a bike ride
My challenge to you is to block off time on your calendar and go play. If not now, when? Now seems like a very good time to me to plan an adventure and book out play. Everything will be the here when you re-enter. But you will be different. By playing you are increasing your resiliency, building in goodness to your body and mind and boosting your immune system.
If you need help figuring out how to get started with play, to reconnect with your curiosity and creativity, we are here to help.