Is the secret to happiness child’s play?
From building Lego to being arty, psychotherapist Joanna Fortune says 15 minutes of playtime each day will boost your mood
TRY this simple exercise. Think back to your childhood and find a memory of you at your most joyful. What were you doing in that moment?
Chances are you were playing.
As children we spend our days in play, be it imaginative, creative or some kind of sport.
But as we reach adulthood, this stops and playtime is replaced by work, life admin, housework and other mundane things.
In short, playtime is over. Yes, our busy lives can leave us time poor.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Play, whether you’re two or 52, creates moments of joy, which in turn boosts a positive mindset.
What’s more, taking time out of your day to play will banish stress, as focusing your mind on fun helps to reduce tension.
And just 15 minutes of play a day is all it takes.
15-MINUTE PLAY MAKERS Activity jar
Find a jar and write lots of different activity ideas on coloured notepaper. Fold these up to put inside the jar. You can add to them at any time.
When stuck for inspiration, simply reach into your jar, pull out a random activity and do it, whatever it might be.
Create something
Keep some playdough or Lego in a desk drawer or your bag, and use it to build or sculpt something. Using your hands to create will ground you in the present moment and can be a lot of fun.
The street-shopping game
When walking down the street, look around. Imagine you can choose one thing to buy that you would love to own (you have a limitless budget). Think about why you’ve chosen this piece and where it would go in your home.
It could be a chair in a cafe, a neon sign above a shop, or a dog you spot wandering by.
A sketch a day
Get a pad or a notebook and draw something every day. It doesn’t matter what it is or how it looks but have a daily burst of creativity.
Colour your feelings
Start by deciding what colour each feeling is. See each one as a shape, with different sizes and textures.
Now when you have a grey, blobby day, a small purple triangle type of day or a blue spiky day, only you know what it means, and you can draw it in your notebook.
Paint stones
Next time you are out for a walk, gather up small, smooth stones. Paint one at play time. Keep your work or write kind messages on the back and leave them in random places for others to enjoy.
■■Extracted by Hannah Britt from Why We Play: How to Find Joy and Meaning in Everyday Life by Joanna Fortune (Thread, £8.99).