We’ve all heard it we’ve all said it, maybe even said it ourselves when someone tells us we should be “exercising” or “relaxing”.  Our lives have been taken over with: weekly scheduled events, kids school or soccer practice, with meetings here and there a 40 hour work week that actually looks more like 50 hours and then of course the commute.  So when exactly are we supposed to have time to “relax” or “exercise” or even do just a little bit of playtime.

Looking up the definition of “play” is a good place to start. Here I found.

plā/

verb: engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose.

Breaking this down, engaging in activity for enjoyment and recreation, seems like a pretty easy thing except when we have a society that schedules everything. Play is supposed to purposeless.  And it is this very thing that is the part that provides us with many benefits for our brain, mental health and overall physical health.

Seemingly, almost counter intuitive, what if we were to actually schedule “playtime” into our day.  This might work!

The benefits of creating some space to play in our lives are many.  Play takes you out of time, it provides for creativity to re-imagine your day and life. Play can be interjected throughout a day with simple things such as looking in a mirror and making the most contorted face you can.  Maybe it’s a bath at the end of the day – with the rubber ducky and bubbles.  Maybe stopping at the park and taking a spin on the “whirligig”.

If you’re still struggling with ideas watch young children at play. Note the spontaneity and sheer delight that often characterizes their activities.

Balancing work and play gives us energy to live optimally and we reap the rewards of higher levels of energy and clarity.

Why not schedule some real play time, break away from your serious day – Its good for you!