Navigating Life Challenges Through Play

Introduction

Have you ever reminisced about your childhood and thought about how you used to spend your days? The countless hours spent exploring your neighbourhood, climbing trees, riding your bike, jumping ditches, and inventing new games with your friends. These activities not only enhanced mental health, but also boosted our creativity, collaboration, and self-motivation. Looking back, some of us may feel that these activities brought us to our ultimate happy place. The modern-day lifestyle often lacks this element of fun because it’s missing the key component of adaptability.

In the last 10 years, there has been an overhaul in the way human beings work, socialize, and connect with each other. Due to changes in technology, advancements in telecommunications, and globalization, we increased our access to information drastically. This has created a lot more choices for people, and with that also comes increased pressures to learn and grow with the ever-changing times. Navigating life’s changes requires adaptability and now more than ever we are required to manage our stress so it does not become a chronic issue.

Adaptability is required to survive and thrive in times of change. It helps us remain calm and focused in difficult situations, forces us to adjust previous ways of thinking, and helps improve our sense of self satisfaction. It also allows us to remain humble and be cognizant that we cannot control every circumstance and change is inevitable. To be more adaptable and continue to increase our mental wealth, we have to adopt a lifestyle that incorporates some fun through activities that incorporate play, others, and downtime (POD). Here is a three-step methodology to maximize the benefits of play.

Step 1 of downtime allows the nervous system to reset and begin preparedness for play.

Play Builds Innovation and Adaptability

Let’s explore this idea of play a bit further. We all know play is something everyone has access to, requires little or no cost, and is inherently fun. However, there is a science behind play and it is best understood as a mindset instead of a specific activity. A play-based mindset is being open to explore and try new things, and be motivated to learn through trial and error. For all human beings, play is directly connected to the development of the brain’s prefrontal cortex. ¹ This is the region of the brain that is responsible for deciphering information; goal direction; delaying gratification; abstract concepts; decision-making; monitoring and organizing our thoughts and feelings; and planning for the future. The prefrontal cortex is the main source of our executive functioning skills and controls our highest levels of how we function and think. Additionally, play influences brain plasticity through the stimulation of nerve growth via neurotrophic factor. ² Through play new neurons are created in disconnected areas. That is why play has benefits to us not only as children, but also as adults.

Many play-based activities require one of two ways of thinking, either divergent or convergent. Divergent play is described as unstructured, exploratory, and requires creativity as there are no absolute right answers. Convergent play is more structured, there are rules, and requires players to conform to a level of organization to achieve a common goal. The National Institute for Play described various kinds of play, including social play, storytelling play, play via body movement, object play, and imaginative play. ³

Play can also be beneficial to adults as:

• A “play mindset” is a positive environment for us to learn via trial and error. In play, it is okay to make mistakes and we are motivated to continue to enjoy the activity despite the failures.

Adults often experience uncertainty and change due to ongoing changes in our environment which leads to reactions of fear and anxiety. Through play we can imagine, communicate, problem-solve, experiment, collaborate, try and fail, think outside the box, and create. It helps us develop the cognitive skills we need to survive and thrive in the 21st century. ⁴

Others Build Collaboration

Social connection is a fundamental part of life for not only humans but also animals. For example, dolphins will travel in pods and work as a community to nurture and care for one another. Similarly, humans have developed strong connections with each other by sharing similar cultural beliefs, languages, and traditions. ⁵ This meaningful social bond creates a sense of belonging, which is essential to motivational change. Additionally, the benefits of social connection include increased happiness and improved physical health, and were tied to a longer life expectancy. ⁶

However, in times of distress, people have a tendency to isolate and withdraw from others. This can have a negative effect as the increased loneliness can be the catalyst of social anxiety, depression, and other psychiatric conditions. ⁷ With COVID-19 we globally experienced isolation as a requirement to keep ourselves safe and decrease the spread of the virus. We increased our use of social media to connect with others and create a sense of community. But building social connections slowly converted into getting followers on social media and focusing on how many likes or comments were on our posts. This creates an ‘artificial’ connection as often there is instant gratification, followed by the need to post more. The way to build real connection is participating in activities where you help others, build empathy through emotional support, expose yourself to alternative perspectives, and get validation through sharing similar experiences. As adults, it can be difficult to make new connections and some strategies to help include:

• Enhance your need for validation by joining a class or group where others have common interests. A book club, walking or running group, or dance class are some examples.

Downtime Builds Resilience

The practice of downtime is not new and was often an integral part of Indigenous ways of living. The practices of yoga, tai-chi, meditation, sweats, and ceremonies have been a longstanding part of many cultures around the world to help people slow down and refocus. Through these downtime practices individuals are able to rest and relax. When we rest, our body gets a break and our brain is able to slow down our thoughts. This assists in improving focus, memory, and concentration. The homeostasis state achieved during downtime allows our brain to get a much-needed break from the daily demands of life.

Over the years we have seen workplace culture change to encourage employees to attend meetings over lunch, participate in back-to-back meetings and forgo breaks in an effort to be more productive. Often people who take long breaks or naps during the day are questioned on their productivity. However, downtime replenishes the brain’s stores of attention and motivation, which can increase productivity and creativity. ⁸ The practice of self-care extends further than beauty routines and taking a break. It is allowing yourself to be present in the moment, practice gratitude, and be more mindful. Some ways we participate in downtime include:

• Get more sleep. The importance of getting enough sleep is also paramount in helping people cope better with emotions.

For us to remain adaptive in our ever-changing world, continuing to use POD is vital to our success. We are living a very unnatural life. Our 21st-century lifestyle is not in congruence with our natural ways. To play, rest, connect, and share with one another, is human nature. It is not all about being highly competitive and constantly working. If we can be aware of our nature, and live according to that, then we are limitless in our potential. Through POD we are given a chance to process how we feel, what we think, and what we can do about the situation. In times of uncertainty and change allowing our minds to imagine new possibilities can offer us hope and even some enthusiasm to address challenges with tenacity.