Finding the Fun
“Adults play too (or should).”
-Julie Lythcott-Haims, Contemporary American Educator
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
Yes, the photo for the blog is me. Yes, I’m meeting Blue from Jurassic Park and yes, that’s an honest and true scream coming out of my face. Though I knew it was coming, she scared the living daylights out of me. You try not to be jumpy with a large Velociraptor lunging at your face. It’s a little frightening!
What this picture doesn’t show is me scampering away (oh so gracefully, of course) and laughing at myself. I mean really, really belly laughing with my friends who were there with me because my reaction was so ridiculous. This entire trip we had fun…seriously, a lot of fun.
With a new trip coming up, and at various points throughout my career, I’ve thought a lot about how we as adults move away from playful experiences. We dive headfirst into “adulting,” and can miss out on opportunities to find the fun in both big and small ways.
I often talk to clients about “finding the fun,” looking to ways to integrate light heartedness, play and things that are silly. And just for the purpose of bringing a smile to their faces. I may get a strange look every now and again, but for the most part, clients get that letting the adult world go for a little bit, and giving our brain a break from the tough stuff, is critical in healing.
The Importance of Play
The National Institute of Play reports that over the past 30 years or so, we’ve learned that play is important for humans of any age. Play helps keep our brains flexible, hones in our social skills and can be a protective factor for other mental health concerns like anxiety, depression and the like.
You may be asking, “But what does play in adulthood look like?”
SO many things!
Play for social connection may look like trivia nights, or game nights with friends. It could be playing ultimate frisbee, or bluegrass jams.
Play for keeping the mind sharp might be doing your daily Sudoku puzzle or the NY Times crossword. This article even reported that one person found that calculus and logic puzzles were their ideal form of play!
Play may also look like finding new experiences to enjoy. For me, I love travel and concerts. Others may take an improv class, go to yoga, learn ASL, the world’s your oyster!
The long and short of it is, play is something you do just for fun and the sake of doing it. No purpose, just to be silly, or to let go and be yourself in an unadulterated form.
Play and Our Brain
An NIH study concluded that areas of our prefrontal cortex (regulation) and amygdala (emotion center), as well as the striatum (decision making) are all bolstered, and learn to work together, when we engage in play.
We could get into the major weeds with talking neuroscience and parts of the brain (and I do love me some brain science), but I’ll save that for another day!
If you want to dig in a little deeper into play and the brain right now, though, check out this Washington Post article and Dr. Stuart Brown’s TED Talk.
Play Personalities
Dr. Brown also discusses how each person has a unique “play personality,” which people can use to choose which type of play or activities might be best suited to them:
The Collector: You enjoy building collections, such as collecting coins, pins or other vintage items.
The Competitor: You enjoy playing (and winning) games with specific rules, so may enjoy a sports league.
The Creator or Artist: You find joy in making things, or making things work. You might enjoy doodling, woodworking, home improvement projects, crocheting or other artwork.
The Director: You enjoy planning and directing, like hosting themed birthday parties.
The Explorer: You play by discovering something new, either physically (a new place) or mentally. This one’s my jam!
The Joker: You enjoy being silly and foolish. You might enjoy improv or telling jokes to your friends.
The Kinesthete: You enjoy moving your body as play. You might go to yoga classes or take a belly dancing class.
The Storyteller: You play by listening to or creating stories. You might like the theater or writing.
The Takeaways
All of us should get out (or in) there and play!
Our brains, and bodies, will thank us if we do.
Think of finding your play personality, and the activities you like to do as an experiment. It may take some trial and error, which is okay, but once you find the thing(s) that click for you, that’s the golden ticket.
Now as I launch into my next play adventure in the next week, I hope you all do to and find your fun!
