Playtime Isn’t Just for Kids!
I grew up in a neighborhood where there were lots of kids to play with. Most of the time we were allowed to roam the neighborhood on our bikes, walk to the nearby store, or just hang out. I also had several brothers and sisters that I could play with. However, I was generally the more serious one, afraid to get dirty or get in trouble. I was frequently fearful of being teased and so I felt pretty restrained. I typically went along with what others wanted to do and rarely initiated an activity. This fear of “looking stupid”, or doing something wrong was baggage I carried with me well into adulthood.
I remember one of my therapists encouraging me to go play after therapy sessions as a way to let my thoughts and feelings settle into a quiet space. I took myself on play dates to the park-I absolutely love to swing! I pushed through my worry about what others would think when they would see my adult self swinging, climbing the jungle gym, or going down the slide! I went to the arcade and tried out different games. I bought finger paints, sidewalk chalk, and sketchbooks and explored being creative in that way. Thanks to her encouragement, I began to see the value of being playful. I learned to stop taking life so seriously and laugh at myself.
Recently I was taking a walk in a nearby park and passed two young girls involved in imaginary play as they were riding stick horses. As I watched them “ride past me”, I thought to myself “how fun! I remember my granddaughter riding a stick horse in the park”. Following that thought was “they seem kind of old to be doing that” -😬 (unfortunately I haven’t completely ridden myself of automatic judgmental thoughts! ). You see, that’s the kind of situation that was shamed out of me as a young girl, “you’re too old for that, that’s not something you do in public”. However, I have learned to recognize when I’m being judgmental and challenge those thoughts, so I followed the judgment up with “what difference does it make how old they are, they are laughing and having a great time!” and “good for their mom for letting them be playful and not imposing limits on their play!”.
In an article published by the European Journal of Humour Research (www.europeanjournalofhumour.org) adult playfulness is positively correlated with life satisfaction. I encourage you to explore how play can benefit your mental health. It doesn’t matter how young or old you are or what kinds of play you enjoy, just get out there and take yourself on a play date!
