As we grow up, we tend to get busier as we take on more responsibilities. It feels like the more responsibilities we have, the less time we have for ourselves. As we get jobs, move out, build careers, and build families, we tend to not think about ourselves and our needs. Do you ever feel like you are always on the go, taking care of your children and ensuring you are meeting their needs? Are you working many hours of the week and completing house chores on your free time?
It is common to feel drained by the end of the day that we don’t participate in activities that we enjoy. Sometimes we are able to make time for ourselves, such as going to the gym, going on walks, attending to our hobbies. Other times we may not make time for ourselves. When we make time ourselves, we make time to play.
As every individual has different lifestyles and responsibilities, we all have the same hours in the day. We decide to make time for ourselves or not. It is important to make time for ourselves to play.
When we are children, we have all the time in the world to play. We play with our imaginations, with toys, and with our peers. As we grow up, our type of play changes. As adults, we play when we travel, attend to our hobbies, and socialize with loved ones. There are various ways on how adults play.
As some days we have more play time than others, it is important to give ourselves time to play daily, whether it’s for 10 minutes of reading or cook your favourite snack or meal, or taking a week vacation in the Bahamas. It is important that we prioritize to make time to play on a regular basis. Here is a list of reasons why it’s important to give ourselves time to play.
Firstly, playing helps prevent or limit burnout. If you have a stressful job and or have a busy household with small children, it’s easy to experience burnout. Burnout is the feeling where you feel drained and exhausted where sleep does not fully help you feel rejuvenated. With burnout, it feels like you are unable to take on more tasks as you feel like you do not have the mental capacity. To help prevent burnout, we must take time for ourselves from our busy lifestyle. When we participate in the activities that we enjoy, we tend to feel lighter inside as we are able to express ourselves freely. For instance if you enjoy playing hockey, playing once or twice a week gives you the outlet to express yourself and to have fun.
Secondly, every time we participate in playing, we make connections with ourselves. We are shown what our strengths and weaknesses are. When we partake in activities by ourselves, such as crafting, we tend to be engaged with ourselves and discover new things. It is important to get to know who we are. As we become aware of ourselves on a solo level, we become more aware and in more control of ourselves on a social level. When we take time for ourselves, we learn what our passions are, what we enjoy and what we don’t enjoy, and learn what our weaknesses are. If you are an individual who is not sure what you want to do for a career, give yourself to play, take the time to explore. You can find and create yourself through travel, participating in sports, working out, crafting, rollerblading, and so much more!
Thirdly, playing in our adult years help us stay in tuned with our inner child. It is so important to maintain our inner child as our inner child brings in light in our lives. Do you remember being excited with your friends when you put a scary movie on as a child? How about feeling that excitement when you had that ice cream cone on a nice hot summer day? How about the time when you were notified that it was a snow day and school was canceled? Or perhaps feeling giddy when that last school bell rang on a Friday afternoon? If felt like the littlest things excited us. As we grow up, the little things do not excite us as much, making life appear to be dull or perhaps numb. Because of this, individuals may experience depression or sadness due to the loss of time of being a child. As some individuals may miss being a kid and being carefree, some individuals may feel grief and loss. The more we play, the less likely we will feel that loss as we get excited about things. However with that noted, we cannot be carefree as we have responsibilities, but we can bring back some of that magic! Adulthood is tough enough, enjoy the little things!
I personally had a moment when I have observed that I did not feel excited when I got home from work and played with my brother’s kittens and had a bowl of ice cream. If I did that when I was a child, I would think that was the best day ever. When I reflected on that moment and realized that I need to feel my inner child more, I have been experiencing moments more excitedly. It’s the little things that make life counts. For instance, I have recently gotten into Pen Palling, which allows me to be crafty. I can create my own envelopes and make my letters look so pretty. When I participate in making my letters, I get involved in my project. All of my focus is on them, allowing me to be fully present and engaged. When I do this, I feel giddy and excited, especially when I use bright colours and glitter. When you play, have all of your focus and attention on the activities. Don’t take life too seriously, experience the little things fully.
Speaking of feeling your inner child, it is also important to play in our adulthood as it’s fun! Go play on a jet ski, go to the Butterfly Conversation area, go play video games, go play laser tag or paintballing with your friends! Life is too short to feel drained all day. Have fun while you are able to. As you are living within a temporary vessel, use it to have fun! (in a safe manner)!
Another thing that I want to point out is that when we play, we are destressing. This can be done when we play physically or mentally. Stress is one of the leading causes of cancer and other physical and mental health concerns. As we live in a society that glorifies long work hours, lack of sleep, and being on the go 24/7, we need to take moments for ourselves and decide what is really important for us. Do we need to stay late at work to finish that order, or can we leave it for tomorrow morning and go soak in the tub and listen to your favourite music instead? We need to take in consideration that we are replaceable in our occupations. Your job is not your family, they do not own you. As bills need to be paid and mouth need to be fed, work out a schedule that works best for you and your responsibilities in a ways that limits stress and gives you time for yourself. I cannot stress the importance in prioritizing your needs and values.
Lastly, it is important to make time for play as it creates excitement in our life. As we keep life interesting, we live a life where we are looking forward to something. This can be an upcoming camping trip or a hiking trip. As a human being, we thrive on change. We grow when we face challenges, good times, and vulnerability. Try something new that both excites and scares you. You can also do things that you have done before. Plan days of the week to do those things to keep it interesting. Repeating the same day over and over again, like the movie Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray, can easily make us feel tired and “numb.” Changing up your schedule or doing things you love will help prevent from feeling like that. Additionally, when you “make life interesting,” you become happier as an individual. This can help improve your relationships with others and the overall quality of your life!
Overall, there are so many reasons why it is important to keep on playing, whether doing something big, such as traveling the world, or something small, such as colouring in your favourite colouring book or going to the park. We need to keep playing to help stay in tuned with our inner child, which will then bring light and excitement into your life. Do not take life too seriously, and enjoy the little things.
Until next time,
Christy
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