Where did our Playtime go?

In December I was lucky enough to do a three-day training with a group of physicians and administrators. It was truly a miracle that we were able to gather this group on Zoom for the three-10-hour days in the middle of a pandemic spike. The group was committed to learning and growth around their leadership, communication, and relationships with co-workers and patients. The external stress on this group was astronomical and yet they showed up with a great attitude and ready to learn. 

I’m not sure if they planned on actually having fun or playing games but both were included in the training. Toward the end of the third day a number of them said that they were so grateful for the playtime. Their lives are so serious and their careers so crucial to their patients and our greater society. There is little time for play, if any at all. I wasn’t sure how they would respond to some of the goofy aspects of our training in which we do the wave, play a version of jeopardy, and call for periodic role playing and dance breaks. I needn’t have worried in that most of them were ready to let loose.

Make play a priority and see how it elevates your day, your mood, and your mental health. #play #stress #stress-relief Click To Tweet

Those three days got me thinking about how little play time we actually take in our lives. Our kids are overscheduled and so are adults. Rarely do we make time to just have fun and be playful and childlike and yet how good is that for our souls and our mental health? One physician said, “I forgot how much fun it is to play. I miss it.” I admittedly got choked up when she said that because 2020 had been such a hard year for most of us, but most especially these incredibly hard-working doctors. I think we all forgot to play.

How can you put play into 2021? Games, goofing off, acting silly? What feels like play to you? Think about what you loved to do as a kid and see if you can incorporate some of that into your life right now. Make play a priority and see how it elevates your day, your mood, and your mental health. Encourage others in your life to be playful and silly. What have you got to lose? How good does it feel to think of a group of brilliant doctors and administrators taking a few days to play and grow? Think about how each of us might show up differently if we added play to our days as well.

Love,

Lisa Kaplin Psy. D. PCC