Up your game for a less stressful and happier life
So much of adult life has an agenda – the daily grind, a clean house, bills to pay – that there’s little time left for doing something just for the fun of it.
But if your weeks are all work and no play, it could be taking its toll on your mental health – and making you less efficient in the long run.
“Many of us have forgotten how to play – and the pandemic has made it worse as we’ve got out of the habit of socialising,” says Alicia Navarro, founder of Flown (flown.com), a virtual co-working platform who has seen for herself how play feeds your mind to perform better at work.
“But the lack of play can have a profound effect on health and wellbeing. If you neglect the need for magic in your life, you lose your mojo.
“Various studies have shown that simply the act of playing triggers the brain’s ‘awesome foursome’ of positive hormones: endorphins, oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin, which raise your mood and allow you to focus.”
It’s very easy to think you don’t have enough minutes in the day, but time out will improve your focus and help you achieve more.
“Playing as a team is a proven way to enhance productivity,” says Alice. “One study found that 45 minutes of team video game play improved work performance by 20%.”
Research by Boston College neuroscientist Dr Peter Gray in the US found that play uses the same state of mind as creativity and learning, thus priming your brain to take on tricky tasks.
Experts believe that making time to do fun things for their own sake – can help ward off depression, reduce stress, spark imagination and improve your relationships both at work and at home. So, if playtime has been absent in your life since you left primary school, it’s time to bring it back.
Not sure where to begin? Alicia has simple suggestions for getting started...
Schedule your play: Organised fun is good, so block out some time in your diary to play. Otherwise it will end up at the bottom of your to-do list.
Take a walk on the unfamiliar side: Walk home, but along a route you wouldn’t normally take. Try to notice things you haven’t noticed before.
Gamify the mundane: Can you avoid stepping on the cracks in the pavement? Do time trials on unstacking the dishwasher? Have a “getting ready for bed race” against your partner?
Play Spotify roulette: Type a random word into Spotify (or Youtube) and listen to the first three songs that come up. You might hear something weird, funny, or something you love.
Take the “smell a rose” challenge: Challenge yourself to notice one thing a day that brings you joy, then photograph it. The results can be inspiring.
There are infinite ways to play: Psychologists say there are four types of play: other-directed (fans of team sports suit this), lighthearted (for those who like to laugh), intellectual (chess, anyone?) and whimsical (jumping in puddles or a deliberate stroll in the rain). So if one activity doesn’t quite do it for you, try something else.