By: Sarah Collins MA – Mental Health Therapist with the Progress Valley Mental Health Clinic
Often, we discuss our mental health as a teeter-totter or perhaps a roller coaster. Yet, when was the last time you took part in such fun or merriment as a swing, a teeter-totter, or a playful time outside? For that matter, when was the last time you simply lost yourself in any playful moment reminiscent of childhood play?
It is likely that this is hard for you to answer. Or perhaps you have examples of ways that you have played the things that children in your life wished you to play. While the young ones in our lives do keep us young, it’s important to find personal joyful amusement that helps you find the fun in life.
The National Institute for Play says just this and has created a grown-up way to analyze our adult styles of play. Therapist Lindsay Braman has developed the “Play Personalities Quiz” using the work of Dr. Stuart Brown. Dr. Brown is the author of “Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul.” Dr. Brown’s background is a career as a medical doctor, who witnessed the benefit of play in a human life and the consequences when joyful, lighthearted experiences of play are not available to children. Dr. Brown founded the National Institute for Play because he believes that human life should be joyful, and as he says, we are “Built to Play, and Built for Play.” Lindsay Braman’s personality quiz is free, if you are interested, at this link on the National Institute for Play website.
Dr. Brown offers many free resources on the N.I.F.P. website for fun ideas for a more playful and joyful life at all ages.
For deeper reading on the impact of stress and seriousness in childhood, author Alex Kotlowitz offers his novel based on his own experiences growing up in Chicago amidst constant stress and fear for safety, entitled “There Are No Children Here.”
For books that encourage imagination and are fun to read alone or together at any age, consider the “Calvin and Hobbes” cartoon series.
So, it’s serious to find some time in life to be unserious, at any age. You matter, and you are well served by finding a few things that bring you joy and lighthearted distraction from the stress of life. A resolution you make in this new year can be to play and have more fun.
And as always, feel free to reach out to our Mental Health Clinic, where we can provide anything from an initial triage assessment to individual, family, and couples therapy—supporting you and your loved ones through the season and beyond.
Reach out to our Central Access Team at (952) 956-3100 or submit a mental health inquiry on our website. A member of the mental health team will be in touch to guide you through the process and provide the support you need.
