After years of struggling to find the balance of being a working mom I realized I was too structured and focused on daily tasks that I no longer had fun. My husband was the fun guy in our house and I was the disciplinarian. This role in our family trickled into my own personal development. My growth had become stagnant. I was no longer relaxing and enjoying my life for pleasure.
“We don’t stop playing because we grow old… we grow old because we stop playing.” —George Bernard Shaw
In true Ronel fashion I decided I was going to fix my play problem with books on the benefits of play. Quickly I realized books will only get you the information, at some point I needed to take my knowledge into practical application.
After trying what everyone else considered play I realized I was different and that play to me included coloring, photography, playing old school video games, watching movies and reading.
According to the Washington Post, “researchers identified four types of playful adults: those who outwardly enjoy fooling around with friends, colleagues, relatives and acquaintances; those who are generally lighthearted and not preoccupied by the future consequences of their behavior; those who play with thoughts and ideas; and those who are whimsical, exhibiting interest in strange and unusual things and are amused by small, everyday observations.”
Reading this definition in the Washington post was life changing. If you were to ask me what my favorite thing to play as a child I would say playing make believe. I enjoyed pretending to be a lawyer, mom, librarian and even a store keeper when I was younger. Obviously I am not going to play make believe as a forty something year old however; this explains my love of stories in all forms.
Is play a priority in your life?
What was play like for you as a child versus as an adult?
My form of make believe now translates to my writing and love of stories; reading magazines and books or watching movies, and television series are all my favorite types of play. With that being said I thought I would share a few of the shows, movies and books I have loved recently.
Books:
Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Television Series:
Mare of Easttown on HBO max
Cruel Summer on Hulu
Movies:
Where’d You Go, Bernadette on Hulu
“Play has the power to deeply enrich your adult life, if you pay attention to it,” —Stuart Brown
Taking time to explore play and creativity is one of the things I have started to make a priority for my mental health. Whether exploring nature via hiking or paddle boarding or coloring while listening to an audiobook play has become an intricate part of my weekly habits of rest and relaxation.
My hope is in sharing these ideas for play that you will begin to make time to explore what play activities best serve you in this season of life.
