Somewhere between childhood and adulthood, we stopped playing. We packed away play when we picked up the responsibilities of adulthood. Yet, as adults, we need the benefits of play, more than ever…
What is play?
Clinical psychologist and chief of Psychology at Ellis Hospital, Dr. Rudy Nydegger describes two ways to view play: firstly as “something that we do for recreation that is purely for enjoyment and/or entertainment” – in other words, just something we do for fun. Secondly, play is something we do that is “intrinsically motivating” – something we do just because we want to…
This month in LeadMore, we are joined by Pauline McNulty and Tzuki Stewart, co-founders of Playfilled. They believe incorporating play into our adult lives vitally important to building our mental strength and emotional stores, helping us deal with tough times.
What are the benefits of play?
The benefits of play are far-reaching. Play can help reduce our stress levels by triggering endorphins – our bodies’ feel good chemicals. It can stimulate our creativity, our imagination and our problem-solving abilities. Play can also improve brain function, boost our energy levels and build our resilience. It can even improve our relationships and connections to others.
Companies who recognise the importance of play in the workplace report higher productivity, improved job satisfaction, an increase in morale and employee retention. Increasingly, studies are showing the correlation between play and intellectual achievement and emotional well-being.
How do we make the most of play and its benefits?
Because play means different things to different people (and can prove elusive when we are busy or stressed) we need to take the time to discover what play looks like for us and how we can incorporate it into our lives.
Join us as we explore how we can use play – even a playful mindset – to build our emotional resilience, increase our creativity, unleash our imagination and release feel-good feelings to boost our productivity in our professional and personal lives.
“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”
– George Bernard Shaw
Register here to join our masterclass on Building Resilience with Tzuki and Pauline – all are welcome!