When you hear the word play as an adult, you might be thinking of or reminiscing how you experienced play as a child. There are so many connotations associated with play that we sometimes get lost in the idealized concept of being an adult. We begin to feel like we must relinquish the idea of playing or being childish in the best possible way. Therefore, to gain back precious tidbits of the ultimate childhood experience through positive reinforcements, follow on below for the practical and unique ways you can play today while maintaining your sense of self and awareness as a mature adult.
Effective play benefits your well being
Play is much more than is perceived. From the outside, one might assume play to be an irrelevant form of indirect undertaking, or in other words, a waste of time. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Effective play is beneficial to one’s overall well being. As kids see play as a reflex to let loose and have fun, adults can experience similar results with the following intentions: achieving adventure, fun, and freedom. Children are often encouraged to play and this is why they have an easier time expressing themselves. Adults would greatly benefit from play as they would gain a better ability to express themselves as well. Whether you choose to play a board game (which is a great form of cerebral play), a puzzle, or swing in your local park, play awakens your sense of creativity and simultaneously minimizes your stress levels.
Play enhances your relationships
Adults are taught to compete in the real world. This can get overwhelming if taken too seriously on a daily basis. Play, on the other hand, can essentially balance out competition by bringing a genuine connection builder to the table. Through play we can easily let our guards down and be who we really are. As adults, we are constantly engaged with others. Social interactions including partnerships and friendships expect certain obligations and responsibilities. Play can enhance effective communication as through play you are gaining self awareness and that translates to confidence.
Generate your artistic side
Through play, your artistic side of your soul is brought up to the surface. You can easily become inspired from your own thoughts through positive actions taken with play. Play has a way of bringing out the intrinsic desires of our inner child self. Therefore, play can be seen as active form of learning. Once we are learning, we are offering ourselves mental stimulation and development as well as intellectual processing, which is basically brain food. Play encourages that sense of freedom from within yourself and opens up new channels that you might not have known you even had.
At the end of the day, play is a simple task at that. The physical and mental act of play builds a powerful foundation of confidence and social connection if done productively. Play enforces a sense of joy from within while releasing excess stress and additionally takes you back to truly appreciate yourself and the simple things in life.
