We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.
George Bernard Shaw
For some odd reason, the society we live in tends to dismiss play for grown-ups. It is exclusively associated with kids and toddlers and is perceived as a waste of time for adults. It is considered petty, unproductive, and even guilty pleasure. The notion is that once we grow up we have to be serious. We are obliged to find a balance between our professional and personal life between which there is no time for play.
I don’t know how much you acknowledge, but a lot of our learning of life has come from play. It has helped us develop our personality, foster critical thinking, and has tremendously made us agile to different pathways. Albeit, benefits are far-reaching but we give up play for more serious pursuits like our career, relationships, and our family.
The play has shown various scientific benefits for our stressful lives. It makes our brain release endorphins, improve mental abilities, and kindle creativity. It makes us feel young and full of energy. There are multiple pieces of research that show an increase in memory and promote the growth of the frontal cortex. It is also responsible for the secretion of BDNF which stimulates the growth of brain cells
The benefits of playing
Play can be as important for adults of all ages, as it is for a child’s development. It can re-ignite joy in your life, relieve stress, enhances learning abilities, and increase your social life. It can help you be more productive in life. The best part about playing is that you can play with your pet, children, fellow workers, or your friends.
Play helps to:
- Relieve stress: Play is a great way to unwind from your daily hustles. When you have fun, your brain releases endorphin which is a natural feel-good hormone and makes you feel good. It promotes well being and relieve pain.
- Improve brain function: Playing games like Chess and solving puzzles, improves fluid cognition. It is a fun way to challenge yourself and improve your mental faculties. We also learn to draw parallels of play from the real world, that can help us make our life easier. It also helps us connect with friends and family and additionally ward off depression and stress.
- Improves relationship: There is a common misconception that play has to be exclusively a physical activity. It can also be a state of mind. Having a playful nature takes you forward in a long way. It helps you loosen up in tough times, helps you break the ice with strangers like a cakewalk, make new companions, and develop business connections. We often tend to laugh when we play and can foster empathy, compassion, and trust in our camaraderie.
- Stimulate the mind and boost creativity: I learned how play can boost creativity and enable you to sustain attention for long hours, while I was doing my Masters in Business Administration. All of my professors used to gamify the classroom experience so that it feels like a play. We know that children learn the best when they are playing and the same can be said fo adults. You will learn more and in a significantly better way when you are more relaxed and in a joyous mood. It also complements your problem-solving skills and gives a significant boost to your creativity.
- Keep you feeling young and energetic: I mentioned the words of George Bernard Shaw at the beginning of the article and it indeed holds true here. Play can boost your energy, keeps you on toes, and most importantly makes you proactive in life. With all this, you automatically develop resistance to diseases as your immunity is increased. Therefore, you can be the best at whatever you do.
Conclusion
Remember that it is never too late to develop your playful side. Never hesitate to play thinking that you will come across as a childish individual. Try clear your schedule, plan time for play. You can host game nights, joke with strangers, play with children, and do loads of other things that can make you feel happy.
At any point, if you think the play is just waste remind yourself of all the aforementioned benefits for you and the people around you because “play is the purest expression of love”