The Impact of Play on our Health
Content Courtesy of the Forever Young Podcast with Christiana Egi and Cherrie-Marie Chiu.
Did you take time to play or incorporate some leisure into your day today? Play is so important for us as it helps relieve stress and anxiety. When you do something that is enjoyable, your body releases endorphins that elevate your mood and helps bring down levels of stress. Doing activities like puzzles, brainteasers, and card or board games has proven to be fun and also helps boost brain power.
In this episode of the Forever Young podcast, we discussed how play improves our mental health, so read on to learn more about how we can optimize our mental health this winter!
Play for people of all ages carry many great health benefits. The act of playing is described as anything that makes you laugh, lose track of time or feel goofy at heart like a kid. The world is a different and beautiful place when seen through the eyes of children. However, playing is not just reserved for children. Most types of play or leisure activity also include a community aspect which can help create strong connections and help with loneliness and isolation. When young children play, they unleash their imaginations and come up with scenarios. This has proven to be helpful for older adults as it is a great way for our brain to help us keep an open mind.
So let's talk about all the different types of play. First up are games. In our younger years, people may have engaged in big team play like basketball or baseball. There are also different types of sports like Picketball, which combines the elements of tennis, badminton, and ping pong. This game improves balance, agility, reflexes, and hand and eye coordination as well without putting too much excessive strain on your body.
Another great way to play is to do puzzles and not jigsaw puzzles, but mind games like Sudoku and crossword puzzles are other great ways to enjoy free time and also build your brain muscle. There are also many apps available online, one being Wordle!
Another form of play involves art and music. Creating music or playing music on an instrument, being part of a choir or singing group, or even acting in a play are great ways to play. Group singing or being part of a choir/singing group is a great way to form social bonds and it is also a quick way to form friendships with people with similar interests. Music exercises both the brain and the body, however singing is also really beneficial to your breathing, your posture, and muscle tension. Even listening to music and participating in music has been shown to be effective in pain relief!
Another type of play is imaginative play. This is particularly fun with young children because they see the world so much differently than we do! Children may play creative games like pretending to be a doctor, a mother, or a caretaker. While these are fun and also help build character, they also teach kids to nurture and take care of one another with compassion and empathy.
Play also helps us maintain friendships and grow new ones. Spending time with others is known to increase harmony, trust, empathy, and intimacy among people who experience them together. So play also gives you a better outlook on life, and it’s no secret that you feel better when you have fun.
Having fun can certainly extend our lives and improve our physical abilities and vitality. Creating plenty of these fun moments in our lives can be a good way to boost our immune systems, reduce the risk of illness, and also minimize the perception of anything we may already have. As we mentioned earlier, play can help reduce pain as when you play, you release endorphins (these are happy hormones) that neutralize your pain.
There are so many ways that we can play and it is so accessible at any age, and you don't even need special tools. One of the best things about play is that it keeps your mind young and engaged on a regular basis, which helps enhance your creativity and mental sharpness.
As we head into the winter season, it can feel discouraging to go outside, have fun, or spend time with the community. However, we hope this episode helped our readers and listeners gain more insight into how to have fun and how it can improve our mental health.
The Forever Young podcast is created and produced by Christiana and Cherrie Marie Chiu. Produced and engineered by Elisse Hill. The podcast represents our opinions and those of our guests. The content should not be taken as medical advice. It is for informational purposes only. Please consult your healthcare professional for any medical questions. If you like our show, please tell your friends and leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts. New episodes are available every other Wednesday. Have questions? Email us at ourforeveryoungpodcast@gmail.com.
