Play is Survival
What have we all been doing so intensely for the past three years? Most days, it feels like just surviving. We’ve experienced situations that were so unexpected and unprecedented (oof, cringe, do y’all still cringe at that word, I do), we often felt REALLY lost. When we are just trying to survive, we end up doing the bare minimum. There’s so much talk about what we can do to help our children as they are returning to school and in-person friendships (by the way the answer is play) but we need to talk about what we can do to help ourselves (hey, what do ya know, the answer is still PLAY). Play truly IS a part of survival. It teaches us the skills we need to successfully interact in personal and professional relationships all across our lives. It’s also an excellent avenue to reduce stress and increase joy.
When we aren’t playing regularly, the responsibilities, the ‘shoulds’, and the worries pile up. Our energy is focused on “what if” and “what next”. We lose our joy which affects every aspect of our life. Don’t misunderstand - We aren’t falling into toxic positivity here; we don’t have to be happy and perky 100% of the time, but we also shouldn’t be sad and anxious 100% of the time. Our relationships with friends, family, and colleagues suffer.
We often say “I don’t have time to play”, but we should be saying “can we afford NOT to play?”.
How can you bring more play into your life? Advocate for play at work and be a role model for playing at home. Join me in the movement to bring play back. Follow me on socials for ideas and inspiration. Instagram Twitter LinkedIn Facebook
