play ball! (7 benefits to play+ suggestions)

Psychoeducation:

Taking ​​Play Seriously!

We often dismiss playing games as unimportant or a waste of time. Making the time to play a game either alone or with other people may seem trivial when we have to deal with life's challenges like going to our job, taking care of children (if you got kids, that is), and cleaning the house (just kidding, millennials can't afford homes!).

Currently, there is a large body of research that indicates play is extremely important for maintaining the mental health of adults. Play is not just a kid's game!

When we play as adults there are benefits on several levels:

1) Physical Activity: While not all play involves physical activity, the ones that do can get us physically active. Being physically fit helps alleviate feelings of sadness and anxiousness.

2) Social Activity: While not all play is done in groups, the ones that are played with other people get us interacting socially. This helps alleviate social isolation and puts us in contact with other people who can support us.

3) Brain Benefits: When we play games, we use our brains in ways that we do not normally use. Games promote the establishment of new neural connections. Our thinking patterns become more fluid and better able to think of new ideas.

4) Laughing and Smiling: When we play games we have fun. Laughing reduces stress hormones, lowers blood pressure, increases oxygen intake, and improves our immune system functioning. Smiling increases our levels of the feel good chemical dopamine + communicates to people that we are social & fun to be with which increases our social contact!

5) Stress Reduction: Playing a game is an excellent drug-free method for reducing the feelings of tension in our bodies. Physical activity, social activity, and cognitive activity all combine to reduce feelings of tension in our bodies.

6) Non-Competitive Play:

Involves activities that do not have winners or losers. The focus is on having fun, being active, building friendships, or practicing a skill. Very often traditional games can be modified to become more non-competitive by not keeping score, mixing up teams, or just playing one part of the game. Sometimes games can be designed to be purely non-competitive. Sometimes we can take a competitive game and just not make winning important.

Keep in mind that there are many different types of play.

A few examples:

- jigsaw puzzles

- pick up one of those awesome adult colouring books from your local bookstore!

- steal your kid's LEGOs while they are sleeping

- Adult Jenga!

- I think they have adult Play-Doh now too...

- cardgames (gambling is not recommended though as it tends to cause more short-term & long-term stress than relief!)

- zumba (my mum's personal favourite)

- join an adult sports team! (soccer, baseball, basketball, etc.)

- videogames

- brain games (Cranium always had great games...but there are some online now too!)

- grab your friends and head to your local Escape Room!

- Date night doesn't always have to be dinner and a movie... try bowling, mini-golfing, paintball, laser tag, Canada's Wonderland, etc.)

- hangout with a kid (play with your kid, or your nephew/niece. They can actually be fun to be around! Sometimes!)

- sign up for a hobby-like course at your community centre!

- try attending festivals, free public events or even concerts (Taco Fest is on Friday in Toronto... don't miss it!)

Make time for play, even if it's just once a week! Decide what fun means to you, befriend a fun person & go for it. As long as you're not harming yourself or anyone else, Saniyya gives you the green light!

Play on, my friends.