Play is an antidote for depression
When you look back at your fondest memories, you may find they
are often
memories of times when you played. Times when you found yourself
having
a good belly laugh, when you played games or did something fun
with
others! Each person has their own memories and those happy,
playful times
interwoven into the day to day stuff of life, add interest and
vitality.
What do you remember from your childhood? Was there time spent
camping, fishing, playing board games, swimming, playing tag,
water
fights...? The list of possibilities is endless and most of
these activities are
very inexpensive. Many would cost as little as 5 to15 minutes.
Children are wonderful teachers and they are programmed to come
along
when we most need to be reminded to take time out from the
responsibilities
of living, earning and raising families. We miss out on moments
of
connection when we tell them, “We’ll play later” or “I don’t have time
right
now”.
Playtime creates connection
It’s so easy to place greater value on working hard or getting
everything
done and forgetting about the equal value of enjoying healthy
fun and
laughter. This is a big part of the work-life balance equation.
Working too
much can result in too little sleep, short tempers and strained
relations. The
antidote may be simply making time to play. These moments of
connection
build memories that last a lifetime.
Can you put a play date on the calendar this week? Decide on an
activity and honour it as top priority. Ideally, it will involve
others in the
family. Perhaps it will be a picnic on the weekend, simply
making a
game out of the veggie prep or spending an hour playing games
with
the family. Whatever it is, it will be time well spent!
Emma McKenzie
Teacher - Edgerley Room
Wellbeing Facilitator
