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Now back to our this week’s topic- ‘Play’.
Play is defined as an unstructured, intrinsically motivated joyful activity with no particular end result.
Let’s take it word by word.
Unstructured: Not to say there are no rules, but there are rules you can be creative with.
Intrinsically Motivated: Play can not be mandated. It defeats the purpose. It has to come from within.
Joyful: Is it really play if you are not having fun?
No particular end result: It doesn’t necessarily have an outcome so that’s why when kids cycle to win the finish line, it’s play but when adults cycle to lose weight it’s not.
Play exist everywhere!
In all cultures, in all age spans and in animals too. If you have watched Discovery or grew up with a pet, you’d know an animal learns how to be an animal through play- for example, a cat practices its attacking skills in the playtime.
As for humans, babies first play with adults, they observe their parents, guardians and siblings, so the first form of play is largely imitation of the real world. A toddler trying out their mom’s heels or driving a car or imitating how to speak on phone.
Young children also use play to explore the world around them and use their imagination. Playing with blocks, making up stories, role plays etc.
As we enter the teenage, there is still play but it changes it forms- many a times, it becomes a medium of asserting our identities. Skateboarding, rock climbing, theatre, or simply chilling with friends.
What about adults? What happens to play when we begin to work? Does it exist? And to what degree?
Yes, it does exist in form of our hobbies, or hanging out with friends but perhaps we can do more to add it in our lives.
When we play, we are in the moment, it’s a mindful activity- a lot like meditation. But we don't do it enough. Think about the last time, you did something because you wanted to without chasing the end result or posting it on social media for validation?
Play is a great form of stress management as it releases endorphins and it also helps us to learn about ourselves and spark our creativity. In a workplace, it boosts productivity. It also teaches us how to communicate and cooperate with each other, and improve social skills.
And it makes us better learners as it is shown to improve memory and our brain functionality.
So what are you waiting for? Find out ways to build more play time in your lives, here are some easy suggestions to get started!
Host a game night
Play with a pet
Find a hobby
Block some time every week to do whatever you wish for
Think about what place does play hold in your lives as adults. Is there a room for improvement, what steps can you take? You can also use the reflection box!
Find out more about your play personality with the help of this article.
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Keep Learning!
Adios,
Avni