Did You Play Today?

Before you begin to wonder if I am talking to a bunch of kids, let me explain that I am talking to you, whoever you are.

We all need to play every day. Play will make you feel alive and in good cheer. Play makes life worthwhile.

Let me define play. Play is any activity that one enjoys doing. We have all played as children and with age comes responsibilities and multiple roles that gradually force us to permit less time for play. Sadly, quite a few of us have even forgotten how to play!

You don’t exactly have to get down on all fours and trot around like a wild horse. Neither do you have to join the local football team to really play. Play varies from one individual to the next. Play is anything that you truly enjoy doing. Play should be an activity that is healthy,stress relieving and totally relaxing.

While you may enjoy watching sitcoms, someone else may find playing computer games a great way to play. Just start with one fun thing to do each day. It should not take too much of your time but when it is time to play, you just set everything else aside and have fun. It’s your time.

Before you start moaning about having to fit in an extra activity into your overflowing schedule, let me ease your tension a little. Play time can fit into any part of the day. You don’t have to worry about when you can find the time to do it. You just need to remember to do it!

A great way of reminding yourself each day would be to probably set two alarms on your cell phone each day. One should go off probably sometime in the morning before you leave for work and the other, at night before you retire to bed.

If you are already feeling too exhausted to play at the end of the day or are rushing to work, then this is where I bring in another alternative.

You obviously can’t read your favorite comic when you are in rush hour traffic but you certainly can listen to some great music! Have more than one option for play. In fact, over the years I have developed more than a dozen activities to fit in with a variety of play time for myself. I always seem to have something to have fun with when I get the time to do so, even if it is for just 10 minutes.

Why is play so important? Well, we all know it releases positive energy and is a great stress buster. There is much more to play than just that.

Play makes us look at the brighter side of life. Play brings out positive vibrations from within the soul. It rejuvenerates our mind. It makes us love life.

Life must be loved for one to move on. We may not always enjoy everything we do but setting aside some time for an activity that we do love will make all the difference.

So what happens on bad days? Well, when you are seeing more blue than any other color, switch off and play hard. It won’t be easy to start. You will need to think of an activity that will get your adrenalin pumping harder than your heartbeat. It does not have to be a physically challenging activity. It just has to be something that will require your full attention and enthusiasm (it definitely isn’t your work!). Play can bring you out of any negative emotion if you would allow it to.

Make a list of activities that you love to do. It could consist just about anything from reading books to playing with your toddler but it must be something you utterly enjoy. Besides that, there are no hard and fast rules.

So….have you played today yet? I have not as yet, but I am on my way….cheers!