Play as Healing

 Hi everyone,

This week’s blog explores something that has not always come easily to me: play.

Even as a child, I often felt more like a little adult than a carefree kid. I loved recess — four square, tetherball, the feeling of fresh air between classroom periods. But imaginative play did not always feel natural. I had a best friend with an incredible imagination who could transform leaves in a pond into boats traveling across vast oceans. I remember being in awe of how easily she created worlds from very little.

Left to my own devices, I gravitated toward quieter forms of play. I spent hours with my model horses, arranging them carefully and creating contained environments. Looking back, I can see that I wasn’t uninterested in play. I simply approached it in a more structured way.

Many of us carry stories about ourselves related to play. Some people had abundant opportunities for imaginative exploration as children. Others grew up in environments where responsibility came early, or where stress shaped how much access we had to spontaneity.

When the nervous system is focused on safety, play can feel less accessible.

But that does not mean it is unavailable.

Research increasingly shows that play supports emotional regulation, cognitive flexibility, creativity, and resilience. Play helps the brain experiment without high stakes. It allows us to explore possibility without needing certainty about the outcome.

Play is not frivolous.

Play helps restore energy that chronic stress depletes.

Play helps widen perspective when life begins to feel narrow.

Play invites curiosity instead of perfection.

And importantly, play does not have to look like childhood games. Adult play can include creativity, exploration, novelty, humor, and experimentation.

Trying a new art class.
Cooking something unfamiliar.
Doodling.
Dancing in the kitchen.
Playing a board game.
Exploring a new neighborhood.
Allowing yourself to be a beginner.

For those of us who learned to take life seriously early on, play can feel vulnerable. It often involves letting go of needing to do something well. Letting go of needing a clear outcome.

Letting go of needing everything to be productive.

But small moments of play signal something important to the nervous system:

Joy is allowed.

Lightness is possible.

Not everything requires effort.

If play feels unfamiliar, you are not alone.

Sometimes play begins simply with willingness.

You can read the full reflection here:

https://www.lisaconradi.com/blog/play-as-healing

Warmly,
Lisa