So, I’m a pretty anxious person. Some days it can feel overwhelming, like I’m just trying to stay afloat amidst a flood of negative, spiral-y thoughts. Since the pandemic, it’s only gotten worse 'cause I’m spending most of my days indoors with little social interaction - or at least not as much as before.
I’ve found some ways to cope: taking walks, catching up with friends, writing in my journal, positive affirmations or putting my phone away (one of my favorite tactics). But lately I’ve also been trying to be more intentional about making time for fun. Like the kinda fun kids have. I’ve been trying to revisit the things that I was naturally drawn to when I was younger, like making crafts and drawing. I really love this article, which lays out ways we can all include more play into our day-to-day.
One way to think about play is an action you do that brings you a significant amount of joy without offering a specific result,” said Jeff Harry, a positive play coach. “A lot of us do everything hoping for a result,” Mr. Harry added. “It’s always, ‘What am I getting out of this?’ Play has no result.”
At a time when jobs are precarious, livelihoods are at stake and we’re still fighting a deadly pandemic, play is low on our list of priorities. [But] play offers a reprieve from the chaos, and it challenges us to connect with a key part of ourselves that gets lost in the responsibilities of adulthood, especially during a crisis.
This weekend, I decided to build a fort, set up a star projector and gorge on pizza. It made me feel like a kid again and it also just broke up the monotony of day-to-day. Highly recommend. Or if you enjoy a different kinda play, do that instead! | 
