By Jenny Gomez, M.A.
“Can you remember who you were, before the world told you who you should be?” – C. Bukowski.
When did you lose your ability to play? To be creative? To approach life with a sense of playfulness, awe, and wonder? Perhaps you haven’t lost this part of yourself. Perhaps you are lucky and have managed to hold onto a sense of playfulness and creativity in your life. Play is an important aspect of human development, and while we are aware of the invaluable role of play in childhood, we are less conscious of the importance of play in adulthood. Young children are so full of wonder and creativity, and for them, play is such a vital aspect of their lives. However, as we move out of childhood, we often lose our sense of playfulness and our creativity diminishes. In his book, Brainstorm, Psychiatrist and mindfulness researcher, Dr. Dan Siegel, says that when adults … “lose the creative power of the adolescent mind, their lives lose vitality… The playfulness and humor that emerge from the new combinations of things are essential to keep our lives full of vitality”. Playfulness is important at every age!
Why is Play Important?
In general, we can think of play as something that is spontaneous, enjoyable, voluntary, and not rooted in a particular goal. Play is something we engage in just for the sake of doing it. In a world so controlled by outcomes, reason, and productivity, how lovely it is to be frivolous and free and to do something just for fun! As we know from children, play can also involve more than just integrating pleasure. It can be a way of processing our experiences and making sense of our stories. It can also allow for increased flexibility and creativity in novel situations and supports the generation of new, adaptive responses. The book Play & Creativity in Psychotherapy describes play as a way to “flirt with reality” and as something that “invites delight and surprise, quiets a chattering mind, and grants temporary relief from worry”.Play is a doorway into fantasy, daydreaming, and creativity – it is a pursuit of the novel, the intriguing, and the awe-inspiring.
In her book, Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert writes about a woman who expresses her sense of playfulness through her body art, sharing that she wants to “decorate myself as playfully as I can…”. Gilbert agrees that she too wants to live a vivacious and decorated life. She writes: “I don’t want to be afraid of bright colours, or new sounds, or big love…”. Like Gilbert, most of us want to experience life to its fullest potential. Cultivating playfulness (and creativity) can help us do that – even during times like the present when the world can feel so dark and dreary. Play offers of us glimmers of light and hope.
It’s important to mention that lack of safety and the necessity of being in “survival mode” due to difficult life circumstances or socio-cultural/political factors may make engaging in play difficult. If play feels hard or inaccessible, that’s ok. For many folks, safety and survival are the priority.
Ways of Cultivating Play and Playfulness
- Reflect on what you used to enjoy doing as a child. Is there anything you can re-integrate in your life now?
- Incorporate playfulness in your relationships – be open to playful moments and interactions
- Prioritize making time for play (whatever that means for you)!
- Spend time with people/beings that are naturally good at play (i.e. children, pets)
- Approach situations with a childlike sense of wonder
How will you make time for play today?
Resources
Play and Creativity in Psychotherapy, Terry Marks-Tarlow, Marion Solomon, Daniel J. Siegel
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, Elizabeth Gilbert
Play Therapy: The Art of the Relationship, Garry Landreth
Images
Nora, E. (2020). Play. UnSplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/k2UQ0DKctl4.