Lighten Up: Why is it So Hard to Let Yourself Play?
We have put “play” as one of our Big Self pillars from the very beginning, but I don’t think we’ve done a single episode on it.
We do talk about creativity and gratitude. But that’s not quite the same thing.
For one thing, it’s hard to really define what we even mean by play.
In fact it’s so elusive to really define for adults, even after I had decided we definitely need to do an episode on play, I started wondering if this is really something our audience needs or wants. We’re talking about serious stuff on this podcast, stuff that is going to help people in their pain, in their crisis’. And then we realized, that experience is the very process we undergo for YEARS as we transition into adulthood.
Important for us or not, play can feel silly, certainly unproductive, and time consuming.
And that’s precisely the point. On today’s episode we are going to do the impossible: we are going to seriously persuade you to PLAY.
This better be fun.
Time Stamps:
3:04--Let me ask you a question about play
6:28--Great questions, but how are defining play?
10:59--There's a lot of variability in the definition of play
13:12--There are "four different styles of play"
21:30--In which Shelley geeks out on the parasympathetic nervous system
29:24--Quote by Jean Piaget
33:32--3 suggestions for play
Show Notes and Links:
Play by Stuart Brown, MD
Well Played: The Ultimate Guide to Awakening Your Family’s Playful Spirit by Meredith Sinclair
A list of research on play
Stuart Brown’s TED talk on play
Scott Eberle’s blog “Play in Mind”
Study: The Playful Advantage: How Playfulness Enhances Coping with Stress
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