14 DAY TRIAL // Society has taught us that we must live to work and be as productive as we can. While there’s no question about our desire to give our best to stand out at the workplace, that does not mean that life is all about work and no play, health experts are advising us. As a matter of fact, we should learn to play more often, if we want to have a less stressful, healthier life.
Playing should be an important part of our lives, experts tell SheKnows, and adults all over should stop seeing this activity as some sort of luxury that must be indulged only on very rare occasions. “Playtime – a simple, intrinsic human need – has been the ultimate casualty in the battleground of our neurotic productivity. As a culture, we see productivity as the ultimate virtue, and idleness or play as weakness or a character defect.” as SheKnows also points out.
Nevertheless, no one has actually ever told us that working should eliminate the idea of play from the very start. Once our work is done, a little playtime can actually do wonders for our stressed minds, helping us relax, unwind, and, for a short while, forget about all those things that make our daily existence. “Play is an opening to our very being. It allows emotional discharge, with the added benefit of carrying no risks.” Lenore Terr writes in “Beyond Love and Work.” Playing also helps us savor life’s little pleasures, while providing a means of escaping the harsh reality we face everyday.
“Play rejuvenates us. Play and fun energize us and provide gratification – a life worth living. Play takes us out of our thinking, analyzing mind – which is often overly focused on the past or the future – and brings us in touch with the present and with ourselves.” Melissa McCreery, a clinical psychologist based in Washington, also states for SheKnows.
Playing is essential for our health and happiness, as well as for our development as adults. Therefore, integrating it in our daily routine should be at the top of our priority list.