This is Optimal Living Daily Episode 1806. Are you having fun yet by Rachel Shanken of MindBodyWise.com and I'm Justin Molick. Hope you have a great Friday if you're listening in real time and welcome back to Optimal Living Daily or the OLD podcast where I read to you from some of the best blogs I can find and get permission from, mostly covering personal development and minimalism on this show. For now, let's get right to today's post and start optimizing your life.
Are you having fun yet by Rachel Shanken of MindBodyWise.com? It's never too late to have fun in life. It was recessed and the game was captured the flag. My big brother was in the sixth grade and I was a few years behind in second grade.
Usually only the older kids played, but at this time my big brother invited me to join his team. It was an extra special honor to be a part of their secret operation. This was serious business. We were all determined and full of adrenaline.
Nothing else in the world mattered, but outsmarting, outrunning, and outdoing the other team. As we dispersed, my job was to pretend that I wasn't playing. I was to watch for a secret signal from my brother and then do a sneak attack to free team members from jail. I faked not playing for a while, but don't be fooled even while pretending not to play.
I was deeply immersed in the game of being the best secret agent I could be. When several of our key team members were in jail, which was really just a big oak tree, I casually walked on to enemy territory, determined to free my team members from captivity. I was shaking. I was sure the other team could tell what I was up to, but I wasn't going down without a fight.
I walked for what felt like miles, but was probably only 30 yards. When I finally reached the tree, I high-fived all four captive team members, granting them freedom and victory. I don't remember who won the game that day. It didn't really matter.
At the time of my life, playing, imagining, joining together, being fully immersed, body-mind spirit on a mission that was solely intended for the sake of fun. Thinking back to that playful day makes me smile. When did we trade being playful for being busy? Bill's missing, we don't notice it, says Dr.
Stewart Brown, founder of the National Institute for Play. He also asserts that, quote, the opposite of play is not work, it's depression, end quote. Many of us have lost ourselves in this go, go, go, busy, busy, work, work, world. Our worth and identities are wrapped up in our productivity.
We believe that we are valued for what we accomplish. Being busy is a status symbol that many of us wear proudly, and yet so many of us are unhappy, grinding through jobs we don't like, pushing through our days like workhorses, feeling uninspired and unappreciative of our lives. We've forgotten how to engage in play. We've replaced playing and having fun with everything we think we are supposed to be doing, and then wonder why we feel unhappy and unfulfilled.
When we take time to play, we can reduce stress, solve problems with more ease, inspire creativity, improve our relationships, and be healthier, happier humans. For children, play cultivates creativity, enhances problem solving abilities, boosts intelligence, and opens the doors to discovery, joy, and wonder, as well as fostering human connection. Play is the same positive impact on adults. Play for both kids and adults is more than just fun and games.
It's a way of being that is natural to our humanness while also offering a multitude of benefits for our brains, our moods, and our bodies. Remember what it feels like to play. Imagine yourself as an 8-year-old kid outside on a warm summer day playing with your friends, whether it's the swing set, a game of tag, climbing on the monkey bars, or your own game of capture the flag, infuse the memory into your cells, mind, body, and all your senses, as if you're there now. As you let that memory sink in, capture the joy and freedom you felt when you were eight, and think about what it would feel like to experience joy and freedom through play as an adult.
We can integrate play into our busy lives and live with a sense of joy and wonder through our commitment to play. A little bit of play goes a long way and you don't have to rearrange your life to get started. Play your way. Commit to a playdate once a week, create your own adventure, or use some of these suggestions.
Host a scavenger hunt, get creative, make your lists, call your friends, or drop invites in their inbox to meet in a secret location, or hire someone to create a scavenger hunt for you. My friend Samantha is the founder of the Everyday Adventure and she organized an amazing scavenger hunt for a group of us in Chicago and was a blast. Practice juggling in-between calls at work, use lines or small oranges, do cartwheels on the beach, or in the grass of the park. Create a quick game of hide-and-seek or freeze tag before your Monday morning meeting.
Remind your coworkers to dress appropriately. Trade walking for skipping. Announce recess for your employees. Only rules leave your digital devices behind and get outside.
Search meetup.com for a playful group and jump in. Buy kinetic sand and never dries out, put it in a pretty box and create. Go to a local park and swing, slide, seesaw, and climb. Sing the next time you jump rope or exercise or wash dishes.
Yes, out loud. When's the last time you really played with a single-minded focus and the simple goal of having fun? Isn't it about time? Play is so simple and yet it's so much fun.
Play is a vital part of our humanness. Play makes life that much more worth living. You just listened to the post titled Are You Having Fun Yet? By Rachel Shanken of MindBodyWise.com I'm constantly thinking about how to optimize my health.
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Make it a Rachel, a great reminder for me personally, especially during these times when it's not easy to get together with people, more travel, but it's still possible to have play be a regular part of your day. Scavenger hunts are still possible, lots of different games and outdoor activities. We don't know for sure how long the world's going to be a bit different and if we have to adjust accordingly long term, but in either case, don't let that or really just work in our day-to-day lives in general be an excuse to forget about play. You're just thinking about activities you enjoy doing as a kid or in your teens can help brainstorm.
So something to think about today and this weekend. I hope your weekend is off to a great start. If you're listening in real time, thank you for being here and listening to me and subscribing to the show. Make tomorrow reading to you where your optimal life awaits.