6/363 - Play More!

Play! This is probably the best tip when it comes to relieving your body of unwanted stress. Overthinkers (like me) tend to create our own tension because we get lost in the seriousness of life. Caregivers especially can be vulnerable to forgetting how to have fun. They may focus on the comfort of others to a point where they create a habit of neglecting their own needs. As human beings, we need play!

If you’ve been disconnected from the act of playing for a while, you may have forgotten how to have fun. If this is your challenge, try doing something you enjoyed as a youth or young adult. Ask yourself, “What is something I did as a kid just because it was fun?”

I used to love painting with watercolors as a teen. It had nothing to do with skill or with goal setting. I simply loved to swirl a wet brush in different pods of colorful paint, and then glide it across blank paper. I remember it as a relaxing activity that appealed to my creative side. Now I’ve rekindled my enthusiasm and it still brings me joy. It’s all about the process, as opposed to the end result.

Find activities that buoy your spirit and bring levity to your physical state. I had to get out of my old routine - and my head! - and intentionally do new activities just for the joy of it. Even a bottle of bubbles or a box of sidewalk chalk can do amazing things for the mind, body and soul.

Honor the kid who is still inside you. It’s the part of you who knows there is a simplicity to life that flows effortlessly when released. The simplest way to de-stress is to focus attention on play!