Activate your mind!

 We often remark on the vital nature of play in children's development, how it allows them to grow in their emotional understanding of the world around them. I strongly believe that as adults, the need to play does not disappear, in fact it is still a vital part of our emotional and intellectual wellbeing but we often don’t allow ourselves the space needed to engage in play. When we play we regain our ability to risk, to lose, to achieve, to feel uplifted, sometimes vulnerable and always energised.

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“The only kind [of play] we honor is competitive play,” according to Bowen F. White, MD, a medical doctor and author of Why Normal Isn’t Healthy.

But play is just as pivotal for adults as it is for kids.

“We don’t lose the need for novelty and pleasure as we grow up,” according to Scott G. Eberle, Ph.D, vice president for play studies at The Strong and editor of the American Journal of Play.

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Play brings joy. And it’s vital for problem solving, creativity and relationships.

In his book Play, author and psychiatrist Stuart Brown, MD, compares play to oxygen. He writes, “…it’s all around us, yet goes mostly unnoticed or unappreciated until it is missing.” This might seem surprising until you consider everything that constitutes play. Play is art, books, movies, music, comedy, flirting and daydreaming, writes Dr. Brown, founder of the National Institute for Play.

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So let's play!