Play: the antidote to stress
Most of us experience pressure in our daily life; whether that’s pressure to excel in our career, stick with our recovery plan or complete a seemingly endless to-do list. And we all know that with pressure comes stress (uggh!).
In your own life, you’ve likely noticed before how easily stress can build up; escalating over days or weeks to become a serious burden on your body and mind. The weight of this stress burden can negatively affect your mood and your energy levels. When you’re under the burden of escalating pressure and stress, you might feel down, anxious, overwhelmed, frustrated, tense, unmotivated, stuck, insecure or all the above.
This happens to all of us. The good thing is, you have the power to do something about it!
In June, we started talking about ways to proactively reduce stress and to get our lives back into balance. We created a cheat sheet with our top 5 stress reduction strategies for summer. Our latest deep dive into that top 5 list highlights our third stress-relief strategy, and it’s a great one: play.
Play is an amazing antidote to stress because prioritizing “playtime'' gives us a chance to release tension and pressure.
For some people, playtime might be imaginative storytelling with your young kids. For others, maybe it’s a game of Chuckit or Frisbee with your dog. It could be taking a pottery class, playing board games, or arranging a pick-up soccer game with friends.
The point with play is to do something that tells your brain “I’m happy and safe right now, and it feels great! I can laugh and relax.”
As adults, we often lose touch with the idea of play and get easily consumed by expectations to be productive or serious. But it’s important for us to remember that playtime isn’t just for kids. When we allow ourselves the freedom to play without pressure, it can do wonders to reduce our stress levels and bring positive energy back into our lives.
Each of us has our own favorite “playtime” activities that make us feel happy, safe, and joyful. This week, instead of a pre-fabbed cheat sheet, we’re giving you the opportunity to create your own!
You’ll get to create your own “Playlist” for stress relief, compiling all the playful activities you love most.
This exercise is super simple and should only take a few minutes. Afterward, you’ll have an awesome tool you can use as a quick reference for relieving stress when you feel it start to build up in your life.
Here are a few examples to get you started:
Play games with my kids
Play frisbee with my dog
Do an adult coloring book or watercolor painting
Take a pottery class
Watch a funny movie
Plan an easy bike ride or trail run with friends
Take a virtual dance class
Start a game of pick-up soccer or basketball with friends
The opportunities are endless! Just choose the activities that feel the best to YOU. And for this exercise, make sure they’re things that are low-barrier, i.e. easy to do in your daily life
Takeaway
Playful activities that make you laugh, light your face with a smile and help you experience joy are solid gold when it comes to stress relief. Play and laughter really are amazing medicine! If you can carve out a little time each week for playtime, you’ll no doubt see stress begin to melt away.
Want to learn more about reducing stress?
Check out these readings:
Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily and Amelia Nagoski
Stress Basics. Mayo Clinic.
Stress Relief. Mayo Clinic.
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