Why we should introduce a little “play” into our lives
After an utterly fabulous Easter weekend, I have once more been reminded of the importance of “play” in life. Life can be sooooooo serious and as a type-A personality, motivated by goals and achievement, I have often struggled with relinquishing control and surrendering to pure, unadulterated fun! However, I know myself pretty damn well these days and I have come to realise that my best work comes when I create space to get out of my head and scatter my life with playtime! It allows me to operate from a place with less pressure and more joy and my performance is vastly improved.
With the four-day Easter weekend we are essentially given the go ahead to let go and really enjoy ourselves without a feeling of guilt or worry that we should be doing something else. There is a feeling of more time and freedom and for me, it has been a much needed reinforcement of switching off from work and being kind to myself.
Children and animals are perfect for allowing you to incorporate more play into your life. As adults we have a tendency to live inside our own heads, consumed by our thoughts whereas children and animals are much better at living in the moment and finding joy in the simple things.
This article articulates my feeling after having a gorgeous weekend of play with family, friends and loved ones. https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-29633/the-one-joyful-thing-everyone-should-add-to-their-weekend-wellness-routine.html
There are so many ideas for what we can do to incorporate more play into our lives. Outlined below are five activities from my Easter weekend that have really opened my eyes to the importance of play. I have been left feeling refreshed, focussed and motivated as a result - no further evidence required!
Egg-hunting - the giddiness that comes from hide and seek with chocolate eggs was unavoidable!
Painting and glueing Easter related artefacts - getting creative and messy is the most therapeutic thing ever!
Garden gymnastics - a favourite activity with my Nephew. Rolling, standing on our heads, contorting our bodies not only gets the heart rate going but is extremely laughter inducing.
Family football - is there much better that a bit of competition with the fam in the back garden?
Playing fetch with Chutney, my Cockerpoo pup! I have recently adopted a little pooch and she has been a game changer in getting me outside my head and allowing me more moments of joy.
This is all lovely in concept but unless we make time for pure play, it is unlikely that it will ever happen. So…have a little brainstorm - what does play look like to you? Now make some space in your diary for playtime! You will see the positive impact in your business and personal life!