Adulting should be all play and no work..

Bold statement I know, like whose going to pay those bills if no ones working? Well I'm not saying change the system, after all the money and work situation is something that has been in place for many years so who am I to change it? What I'm saying is we ALL need to play more. 

We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing".
George Bernard Shaw

​Last week made me wonder have a I grown up TOO MUCH? Well I have a little, but when I look at most adults I realise so many others have too. It all started when I went swimming with my girls and they were freely jumping in the water, I remembered summers as a kid spending countless hours jumping in and out of the pool, doing flips, cartwheels etc etc

​​Being in the pool watching my girls do the same was obviously heart warming but it also made me think, when did I stop doing that? Then I asked my husband later that day; did he think it’s appropriate for me, in my thirty’s, to be jumping in and out of a pool at a public swimming baths, he was like why not? I said don’t you think people would find it strange? After much discussion we settled on it would be OK with kids maybe, but would most likely look odd me being on my own. I was super disappointed at that fact and pondered over it most of the week. Why is it that I can’t have fun and play as an adult as much as I did when I was a kid? What is it about society that makes me not do the silly things anymore? Why do we need to "grow up" and does this have an effect on us in someway? Research suggests play is an essential part of a child's development and helps to maintain a happy healthy child. Well its my belief that its also an essential part of a happy, healthy ADULT lifestyle too! And so many more adults need to know this, it genuinely makes you feel alive. Life is so busy as an adult, with work and family commitments, so its even more important to make time for pure fun. 

Adult play is a time to forget about work and commitments, and to be social in an unstructured, creative way. You should focus your play on the actual experience, not on accomplishing any goal. There doesn’t need to be any point to the activity beyond having fun and enjoying yourself.

So what are the benefits?

Play can improve mental health in adults, it adds to the joy of life, relieves stress by releasing endorphins into the body (the bodies natural happy chemical), supercharge learning, increasing brain function; especially through challenging brain games like chess or memory games. It helps connect you to others and the world around you. Play can also make work more productive and pleasurable, if you don't have time for play at work (if that's not up to you, then speak to your boss about this - google is prime example of how play can be effective in business). 

Personally I hadn't realised play was missing from my life as much as it was, these thoughts started mainly when I noticed how much fun my children had with life, using something as small as a screwed up piece of paper could keep their imagination busy and providing lots of belly laughter. Its really wonderful to watch them play, but its super important to play with them and take time to play and do some fun unstructured play yourself.​​

There's so many paid for places to get out and enjoy yourself, but there is also so many free ones too; local woods where you can get active outdoors, take (borrow, hire) a bike with you or even stay at home and do some painting perhaps?

In the last week I have enjoyed swimming, doodling with a biro, painting with Bob Ross (I will tell you more about this in a future post) and as a family we visited Williams Den, an outdoor place for adults and children to explore and play. All of this play brought something wonderful to my life, so I know it will bring something wonderful to yours too.
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​Peace and love to you and your. ​