5 Easy ways to incorporate rest and play
Believe it or not, play is actually absolutely necessary for our lives. ALL mammals play. It’s how we learn. Using play speeds up the learning process exponentially, which is why I’m a huge proponent of finding any way I can to help my children play and incorporate play and fun into my life.
“Scientists have discovered that it takes approximately 400 repetitions to create a new synapse in the brain, unless it is done in play, in which case it only takes 10 to 20 repetitions.” (source)
Along with play, rest is something we are sorely missing in our regular lives. Americans are driven by the consumer, capitalist culture to strive to do more, to constantly need to do more because we can’t keep up with the demands of what is expected and necessary for us to survive here. But paradoxically rest actually makes us more productive. We need sleep to be able to think and have energy. We need boredom to be creative and explore possibilities in our lives. It’s only because of the hustle culture that we’ve been taught that we MUST do something all the time to be considered successful and that if we work harder and harder we’ll be more successful. Not everything you do needs to make you money (this is coming from someone who does not come from $ or have a large savings). You can have hobbies that no one knows about, you can take a cat nap, or leave some dishes in the sink so you can sit outside and listen to the birds. Take time to rest, even if it’s active rest like going for a walk.
Including rest and play in your life are essential for a happy healthy life, not only will you have more mental space as your brain creates new connections and has had time to repair itself, but you will also be able to get into rest, digest, and repair mode in your body, which will allow you to heal much more quickly!
Below are 5 ways I incorporate play and rest into my life on the regular.
5 Easy Ways to Incorporate Play and Rest into Life
Blast your favorite music while you do your chores and dance around the house, or walk in silly ways
Speak in a silly accent while you do something (even if there’s no one to listen)
lay down for 5 mins with no phone, music, or TV. Give yourself a reset. you don’t even need to sleep, just take a few breaths and let your brain not do anything for a bit. Even better if you can lie face down outside. (there’s something primally relaxing and supportive about letting the earth hold you and your belly.)
Grab your favorite tea or coffee and sip it outside as you listen to the birds. This practice has been such a blessing to me, especially when I wake up early when I wanted to sleep in 😅 When I get outside in the early morning and get the infrared light soaking into my body and the earth on my feet, my whole day starts better.
Find a fun thing happening in your community. Meet ups, facebook groups, and other small businesses are hosting events all the time (like trivia night or workshops) you can find groups for almost any interest on there. Bring a friend and enjoy yourself. I just recently did vocal toning class, which was WAY out of my comfort zone, but it turned out to be awesome and I had so much fun!
