don's report archive

by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.

Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

Work is to an adult as play is to a child, that is, something we do. Evidence mounts that adults would be better off doing less work and more play or, better yet, more work that feels like play. Just as it does for children, play facilitates a host of good things for adults, including stress release, the experience of joy and exhilaration, a sense of belonging and connection with others. Play, basically, leads to healthy emotional states. If play were viewed as a nutrient, and I think it should be, the FDA or equivalent governmental body would set and recommend we obtain daily minimum allowances of it for preventing illness, just as the FDA does for mineral and vitamin intake.

Child psychologists maintain that children NEED play -- it is vital for their growth and healthy development. "Lack of play" is not a recognizable cause of death for children, but too little play has stunted many, if indeed not most people, from the beginning of time. For millennia, as far as we can tell, play was not the highest priority for our species. Staying alive another day was probably the greatest priority. Today, we have the luxury (most of us in this country, anyway) to assume we will live out the day and many more. Therefore, play could receive a lot more attention, if only circumstances were to be brought about that would elevate it to a suitable priority, supported by the culture. As noted, our own culture does support play for children, but not so much for adults.

You can change that. You can decide, no matter what the culture or anyone else seems to reinforce or discourage, that you are going to go out of your way to live life as a playful person, to the extent possible. Not only is it good for your health; more important, you can resolve to think and act playfully because this is a richer, more fulfilling way to exist, day in and day out. A dearth of play in life is self-inflicted. You can and should decide how playful you want to be, and what form play might take in your life. I'm not talking about sandbox type of play, that is, play for its own sake, but a playful mindset, a not-so-grim way of seeing yourself and the world. Decide what's really important in your life. Take responsibility for realigning the balance between what you view as work, and what you see as play. Favor the latter, whenever possible.

Horace (65 BC) held that "five acts are the just measure of a (theatrical) play." For us modern humans, these acts come in the form of childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, middle age and old age. Aging obviously affects play levels during each act, but in the later years you have no curfews, there's nobody calling you inside for dinner, or grounding you when you don't get good grades or misbehave. Therefore, middle and old ages should be the times of life when you can just play, play, play! Isn't that great? Yet, are you getting enough play? Not if you are like most people. If you are, you might think play is kid's stuff. Bad attitude! What's up with that -- how come you don't play more when you are old than you did as a kid? I think you've got it all back arsewards!

Please reconsider before it's too late. Let's start thinking about a playful spirit as an integral part of aging gracefully, with panache and buoyant optimism. Let this outlook be your escape valve for releasing the pressures driven by constant invitations from others to take them, or yourself, way too seriously. Rather than waiting for structured opportunities for play, invent such occasions! Indulge your most playful spirit as often as possible. Others will love you for it and it will more effectively rejuvenate any thoughts of "tired blood" than a ton of pills by Geritol! In order to create an environment for playful aging, make a conscious decision that play is anything but kid stuff! In fact, it's simply too important to be left to the young. Play will give you energy boosts while reducing boredom and burnout. Broaden your thinking about the nature of play. Think of being in nature, communing with the land, fauna and wildlife, as well as participating in sporting events, as forms of play. You might derive great pleasure from hiking in wilderness areas or photographing wildlife in the natural world. No need to create a hierarchy of play with higher, dignified, socially approved, and ennobling forms at one end and lowlife forms (mud wrestling, for example) at another -- all forms are useful, provided nobody gets hurt and the horses are not frightened.

The archives contain essays connecting play with important lifestyles challenges, many unique to those of us in our "middle" years or beyond. (Middle-age is when you no longer take "yes" for an answer.) Enjoy them all, and look on the bright side of life.

(Note: This essay will be filed in the archives in the MEANING DOMAIN under the skill area of play. Additional articles related to this theme may be found there.)

(Ed. Note: Views expressed in this and other columns are those of the author and not necessarily those of the SeekWellness Editorial Board.)

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