WEBVTT - Play every day keeps the doldrums away

0:00:03.480 --> 0:00:09.520
<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,

0:00:10.960 --> 0:00:16.800
<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

0:00:16.840 --> 0:00:22.320
<v Speaker 1>tip is to add more play into your life. Do

0:00:22.400 --> 0:00:25.640
<v Speaker 1>something just for the fun of it every day, and

0:00:25.680 --> 0:00:30.120
<v Speaker 1>you may find yourself feeling lighter, happier, and more connected

0:00:30.200 --> 0:00:34.640
<v Speaker 1>to the people you play with. I think it's safe

0:00:34.640 --> 0:00:36.800
<v Speaker 1>to say that a lot of adults could use more

0:00:36.840 --> 0:00:41.880
<v Speaker 1>play in their lives. With family, work, and community responsibilities,

0:00:42.720 --> 0:00:44.760
<v Speaker 1>it can feel like there is not a lot of

0:00:44.800 --> 0:00:49.479
<v Speaker 1>time left for life maintenance and sleep, much less play.

0:00:50.840 --> 0:00:53.840
<v Speaker 1>But after tracking my time for nine years and studying

0:00:53.960 --> 0:00:59.200
<v Speaker 1>thousands of people's schedules, I can attest that almost everyone

0:00:59.760 --> 0:01:04.479
<v Speaker 1>has some discretionary time. We could use it for play

0:01:04.520 --> 0:01:08.760
<v Speaker 1>if we want, even if we tend not to. Sometimes

0:01:08.800 --> 0:01:12.839
<v Speaker 1>people write screeds claiming that the man or capitalism doesn't

0:01:12.840 --> 0:01:15.880
<v Speaker 1>want you to enjoy your leisure time. But I think

0:01:15.920 --> 0:01:20.959
<v Speaker 1>that's kind of ridiculous. No one else really cares what

0:01:21.040 --> 0:01:25.520
<v Speaker 1>you do, so why not go do something just for fun.

0:01:26.640 --> 0:01:28.600
<v Speaker 1>It can make a big difference in how you feel

0:01:28.640 --> 0:01:33.840
<v Speaker 1>about your life and yourself. Now, to be clear here,

0:01:33.880 --> 0:01:35.880
<v Speaker 1>when I say play, I don't just mean playing with

0:01:35.920 --> 0:01:39.600
<v Speaker 1>your kids. Though that can be fun. I enjoy doing

0:01:39.680 --> 0:01:43.200
<v Speaker 1>lego sets with my older kids, but kid play can

0:01:43.240 --> 0:01:46.680
<v Speaker 1>also be not fun, at least for the grown ups involved.

0:01:47.440 --> 0:01:53.120
<v Speaker 1>I really have no desire to play Candyland ever again. Instead,

0:01:53.600 --> 0:01:57.320
<v Speaker 1>really think about what would be fun for you. What

0:01:57.400 --> 0:02:00.280
<v Speaker 1>could you do, not because you want to come plush

0:02:00.320 --> 0:02:04.880
<v Speaker 1>anything or achieve anything, but just for delight. What would

0:02:04.960 --> 0:02:10.080
<v Speaker 1>play look like in your life. One easy option is

0:02:10.120 --> 0:02:15.440
<v Speaker 1>to put on some music and dance. Clearly dancing isn't

0:02:15.480 --> 0:02:19.080
<v Speaker 1>accomplishing anything, but as long as you don't fear judgment,

0:02:19.200 --> 0:02:23.040
<v Speaker 1>it can be really fun. So shut the door, blast

0:02:23.080 --> 0:02:26.560
<v Speaker 1>some tunes on headphones if you need to, and get going.

0:02:27.639 --> 0:02:30.360
<v Speaker 1>If you are new to this idea of playing in

0:02:30.400 --> 0:02:33.080
<v Speaker 1>your free time, try this out for a few days

0:02:33.720 --> 0:02:37.280
<v Speaker 1>see how it feels. Once you get your head around

0:02:37.320 --> 0:02:41.760
<v Speaker 1>the idea of daily play, you might branch out. Perhaps

0:02:41.800 --> 0:02:46.359
<v Speaker 1>you enjoy games. Some people like intellectually demanding games or

0:02:46.400 --> 0:02:50.880
<v Speaker 1>puzzles like crossword puzzles, but don't underestimate the enjoyment to

0:02:50.880 --> 0:02:55.919
<v Speaker 1>be had from playful games like charades or pictionary. Arts

0:02:55.919 --> 0:02:59.360
<v Speaker 1>and crafts can also count as play. You don't have

0:02:59.400 --> 0:03:01.800
<v Speaker 1>to produce some thing worth displaying or even giving as

0:03:01.840 --> 0:03:05.639
<v Speaker 1>a gift. It is just about the experience of creating.

0:03:06.919 --> 0:03:10.280
<v Speaker 1>Try using rubber stamps or stencils to make cards or signs.

0:03:11.040 --> 0:03:14.919
<v Speaker 1>Go to a painting and wine class. Weave potholders or

0:03:14.960 --> 0:03:19.239
<v Speaker 1>make lanyards like you did at summer camp Doodle. Buy

0:03:19.240 --> 0:03:23.000
<v Speaker 1>yourself a tub of plato, make cookies and decorate them

0:03:23.000 --> 0:03:26.640
<v Speaker 1>with icing, sprinkles and googly eyes. You could have friends

0:03:26.680 --> 0:03:30.080
<v Speaker 1>over for crafting, rally your family to join you, or

0:03:30.200 --> 0:03:34.840
<v Speaker 1>just do it solo. Physical play can likewise be great.

0:03:35.040 --> 0:03:38.120
<v Speaker 1>What about a pickup game of basketball or an afternoon

0:03:38.160 --> 0:03:41.400
<v Speaker 1>at the climbing gym. At the pool, you might play

0:03:41.440 --> 0:03:45.200
<v Speaker 1>marco polo instead of just swimming laps. Grab a friend

0:03:45.200 --> 0:03:47.480
<v Speaker 1>and throw around a ball, a frisbee or a boomerang,

0:03:48.120 --> 0:03:52.200
<v Speaker 1>fly a kite, jump on a trampoline. You can also

0:03:52.280 --> 0:03:55.760
<v Speaker 1>try recasting your usual leisure time in more playful terms.

0:03:56.560 --> 0:03:58.840
<v Speaker 1>Instead of going out to dinner with your friends, you

0:03:58.840 --> 0:04:01.520
<v Speaker 1>can rally them to go to paint your own pottery studio,

0:04:02.200 --> 0:04:06.160
<v Speaker 1>or maybe play badminton in your backyard. Rather than going

0:04:06.200 --> 0:04:09.120
<v Speaker 1>to a concert for date night, you and your partner

0:04:09.120 --> 0:04:13.880
<v Speaker 1>can go do karaoke. Having a whole afternoon of play

0:04:13.960 --> 0:04:16.640
<v Speaker 1>or an evening could be awesome. I've even heard of

0:04:16.680 --> 0:04:20.560
<v Speaker 1>groups of middle aged women who have recurring play dates. Yep,

0:04:20.600 --> 0:04:23.560
<v Speaker 1>they call them that. But if that is not available

0:04:23.600 --> 0:04:25.520
<v Speaker 1>for you right now, or you don't like the idea,

0:04:26.240 --> 0:04:29.960
<v Speaker 1>you can still find ways to play every day. In

0:04:30.000 --> 0:04:32.760
<v Speaker 1>the fifteen minutes between work and your yoga class, you

0:04:32.760 --> 0:04:35.000
<v Speaker 1>could work on a Rubuk's cube in the parking lot

0:04:35.880 --> 0:04:38.039
<v Speaker 1>while you wait for your kids to get off the bus.

0:04:38.320 --> 0:04:41.599
<v Speaker 1>You could crank up some Beyonce and dance in your kitchen.

0:04:42.960 --> 0:04:45.719
<v Speaker 1>Spend a little less time tidying before bed, and take

0:04:45.960 --> 0:04:49.359
<v Speaker 1>five or ten minutes for coloring in an adult coloring book.

0:04:50.600 --> 0:04:53.560
<v Speaker 1>When you need a work from home brain break, instead

0:04:53.560 --> 0:04:58.159
<v Speaker 1>of scrolling on your phone, go outside and blow bubbles.

0:04:59.320 --> 0:05:01.000
<v Speaker 1>If you make time, I'm for play. I bet you

0:05:01.000 --> 0:05:07.159
<v Speaker 1>will feel happier, less stressed, lighter, more creative. If you

0:05:07.200 --> 0:05:11.960
<v Speaker 1>play with other people, you'll likely feel connected to them.

0:05:12.040 --> 0:05:14.279
<v Speaker 1>So regardless of how busy you feel, try to do

0:05:14.320 --> 0:05:17.000
<v Speaker 1>at least a little bit of play every single day.

0:05:17.960 --> 0:05:20.200
<v Speaker 1>And if you do, I'd love to hear about it.

0:05:21.120 --> 0:05:27.120
<v Speaker 1>You can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com.

0:05:27.320 --> 0:05:32.520
<v Speaker 1>In the meantime this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and

0:05:32.600 --> 0:05:42.159
<v Speaker 1>here's to making the most of our time. Thanks for

0:05:42.240 --> 0:05:47.000
<v Speaker 1>listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback,

0:05:47.320 --> 0:05:56.640
<v Speaker 1>you can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com.

0:05:56.760 --> 0:06:01.920
<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. More podcasts from iHeartMedia,

0:06:01.960 --> 0:06:06.000
<v Speaker 1>please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you

0:06:06.080 --> 0:06:07.320
<v Speaker 1>listen to your favorite shows.