In these modern times, where information moves so quickly there seems to be an incredible amount of people that suffer from anxiety. When I was a child, it was commonplace for the adults to host card games, bridge or mahjong. I would lay in my bed and hear the adults laughing and sharing stories. Today friends or even strangers can play video games without being in the same location. This type of play is not as conducive to camaraderie as playing the old school games. Spending time in the same physical space with people you enjoy, allows you to be playful and as a result happy.
I personally enjoyed a playful experience with my daughter and her girlfriend. We went ice skating during the holidays. This is something I haven’t done in years. I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to still ice skate. I was even more surprised that I didn’t fall and break my butt. This made me feel exhilarated and more confident about my abilities. Even if you are not successful at what you choose to play, you are likely to laugh at yourself and of course laughing makes us happy.
When was the last time you had a belly laugh? Belly laughs are when you laugh so deeply that you can’t stop. Laughter has a number of health benefits. It can lower blood pressure, which can reduce strokes and heart attacks. Laughing can be a natural painkiller. because when you laugh it releases endorphins just like when you do sports. This feeling after the laugh lasts a while and keeps you feeling optimistic.
Playful can happen anywhere or at any time. During my holiday dinner I always provide poppers. First snapping the popper is playful and in the popper is a crown, which we all put on. Then there are small gifts. Some of my guests received a small Yo–Yo. The Yo–Yo string was too long to be effective, so I brought out a real Yo–Yo and it became a contest. Whoever could Yo–Yo the most, won the prize of a stuffed gnome. The gnome was quite coveted. This activity provided all my guests a laugh and a chance to do something they haven’t done in a long time, even the millennials.
As adults many of us don’t like to look silly. I personally don’t have a problem with this. When I was a teacher I looked forward to Halloween, so I could get the most outrageous costumes that would make both the students and teachers laugh. This definitely put a smile on my face and boosted my happiness meter. One of the silliest times I remember is many years ago when I was working on Wall Street. I was walking down the street and I felt something dragging behind me. Eventually and this was after walking several blocks, I decided to stop to see what was going on. I started pulling on this thing when I realized it was a pair of pantyhose that I must have worn the last time I wore the pants I had on. As I was pulling them out, people were laughing and frankly so was I. I realized how silly this looked and I have no problem laughing at myself doing something silly.
When you are silly and don’t care, this allows you to not be self conscious. This can be freeing and stops one from being inhibited. If you can let go of being embarrassed and allow yourself to be playful, this can be another path to happiness.
When it comes to learning and overall performance, information is always better when it is presented in a game or in a fun scenario. Playfulness can be used to engage your co–workers and is highly touted to help students learn information in a better way. So playfulness is an excellent way to enhance mental stimulation.
Playfulness can help with such things as rejuvenation, interpersonal communication and a surge of energy. These are things that so many people do not have. Even young people I meet struggle with exhaustion, loneliness and just overall stress..
If you have children, grandchildren, or nieces or nephews, rather than having them acting like an adult, let them play. You should be happy to join in or initiate the play. One of my close friends has three granddaughters. When they come to visit they either do art projects, cook, ride bikes or put on a fashion show from my friend’s closet. The granddaughter’s look forward to going to grandma’s and grandma gets a good dose of play, which makes her happy with the visit too.
My suggestion is if you’re looking to make a positive change in this new year, then consider adding playfulness to your daily routine. It’s a beautiful day, get on a swing and sing a song. On a rainy day, dance with your umbrella outside and sing “Singing in the Rain”. When the kids’ room is swamped with dirty clothes. Use the hamper or bag and make it a contest to get the most clothes in the hamper or bag. This is more engaging than telling the kids to clean up their room. Wear a piece of clothing with a funny saying on it, or with something that you love on it. Many of my clothes either depict Rock & Roll, or have some kind of dog theme on it.
I wanted to share the gift of playfulness to my readers, because it is easy to incorporate into your lives. You would be surprised how you can reverse the aging process by acting younger and being playful. Especially, if you spend time with children, make sure they know how to be playful and you should be playful with them. If you can do this then it’s a win, win for everyone, especially you. If you feel silly or embarrassed WTH, join in with the funny and enjoy being playful.
