The Power of Play
By Steffi van Kessel
How Much Time do you Spend on what Truly Brings you Joy?
As kids we all know how to have fun. Whether that means running around, building towers or reading books, kids have the innate ability to know what they enjoy and feel no guilt about taking time for it. Somewhere along the road to adulthood, this seems to change for most of us. We get busier with school, work, sports, keeping our house tidy and maintaining our relationships with the people in our lives.
Make Time for Joyful Activities
The definition of ‘play’ is, according to the Oxford dictionary,” engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose.” In other words, doing an activity just because we enjoy it. The do not need to be ‘useful’ un any other way than that they simply bring you joy, and you don’t need to be particularly good at it (although for you, part of the fun could be a competitive element, or trying to get better at it). They do not necessarily make you money, keep you fit, make you smarter or, or more productive in any other way. They might lead to those results, but that is not the main intention.
For me personally, my joyful activities are dancing, singing, laughing, reading novels, jumping on a trampoline. I also love writing without any specific purpose. If you find it hard to think of activities that truly bring you joy, a good place to start could be to look at what you enjoyed doing as a child. It might feel uncomfortable at first, but give it a go!
Why do we Need Play as an Adult?
You might read this and feel objections come up. You might think you have no time for activities that serve no purpose, or that you have e no need for play in your life. Or you might try to incorporate play into your life, but feel guilt around not doing something more useful with your time. So why would you make time for play?
When you engage in play you are in a flow state, focusing only on the activity you are doing. It releases endorfines, and therefore helps us release stress. Depending on the type of activities that feel like play to you, they might stimulate your creativity or problem-solving brain. But I truly hope that just the fact that it makes you happy is reason enough! You deserve to experience joy.
Make the Necessary Activities more Joyful
Of course, as an adult we tend to have responsibilities, things that we find important or are necessary for our survival or to take care of ourselves or those around us. While not everything in life can be and will be fun, it could be helpful to ask yourself how you can add an element of play to your everyday activities. That might mean putting on music and singing along as you do your daily chores (my personal favorite!) adding a competitive element to it or doing it with a friend.
I like to make the necessary more fun by, for example, having my breakfast with the sun on my face (if I am lucky) and working at a coffee place.