Do I make time to PLAY …?

We all need to play, to do something fun just because we can, especially those of us who think we are too busy. Play and a playful attitude are not just enjoyable, they are an essential ingredient of good mental health and emotional growth. Play helps us to live in the moment and generate optimism.

There are no specific activities for you to conduct regarding PLAY as part of the My Basic Training program. However, we do encourage you to think about whether you do have any ‘playful’ hobbies – if not could you? What do you think you would enjoy doing? Play is such an important part of life as a child – for physical and mental development, social interaction and enjoyment. For some reason, we lose sight of the wealth of benefits that ‘play’ has for our wellbeing as adults!

“Play is the gateway to vitality… It generates optimism… makes perseverance fun, leads to mastery, gives the immune system a bounce… and promotes a sense of belonging and community.”*

Wow!!! All sounds like it would have a really positive impact on health and wellbeing!

* The National Institute for Play: