The Science of Play: How Playtime Benefits Mental Health in Adults

Did you ever play games as a kid? Recall the enjoyable playtime you experienced as a child. You experienced one of the most wonderful days of your life. Why don’t you play anymore? Are there any rules that you can’t play when you become older or adult? No, such a thing does not exist. You can start playing at any age. Indeed, playing games as an adult is just as important as playing them as a younger. Play is important for the health of adults as well. It maintains your mental health by making you happy and excited. There are several advantages to scheduling gaming time for both your physical and emotional well-being. Playing allows kids to develop cognitive, emotional, and behavioural skills and has a similar effect on you. You need time to relax, recharge, and reconnect. You need to make time for yourself among so many responsibilities and obligations packed into your busy schedule. Unlike work, play is characterised by a lack of pressure, which allows you to engage in activities for sheer joy. This article explains the importance of playtime in maintaining a healthy mind and mental state in adults.

Mental health in adults 

Mental health in adults comprises a wide range of emotional, physiological, and social well-being aspects. It impacts how you think, feel, and behave in your daily activities. Only an absence of mental disorders does not mean a good mental health. Good mental health is being happy, content, and satisfied. It also includes your ability to handle stress, manage anxiety and anger, work productively, and maintain healthy relationships. Mental health is your physiological, emotional, and social well-being. Your mental state affects how you handle stress, anxiety, and sadness. Mental health disorders affect the way you think and behave. They alter your mood and make it difficult to function. There are many mental health disorders that you may come across at one or the other time. Some of them are as follows:
 

o    Anxiety disorders
o    Depression, bipolar disorders
o    Obsessive-compulsive disorder
o    Personality disorder
o    Post-traumatic stress disorder
o    Schizophrenia
o    Eating disorder
o    Mood swings
o    Antisocial personality disorder.

Adult mental health services

Adult mental health services comprise a wide range of support and treatment options for your mind. There are many healthcare services to promote your mental well-being, diagnose and treat mental health conditions and provide support for your recovery. Here are some mental health services that the health care system offers you.
 

o    Therapy and counselling
o    Medication management
o    Rehabilitation and recovery services
o    Community-based programs 
o    Meditation programmes
o    Inpatient services
o    Education on taking care of your mental health

How can you include playing an everyday activity?

o    Allocate time for play.
o    Reach out for new hobbies like dancing, hiking, and sports.
o    Surround yourself with playful people.
o    Engage in group activities.
o    Allow free-form creativity and explore games without any pressure.
o    Connect with people and socialise.
o    Attend community events and support community games and sports.
o    Play with your children, which makes them happy as well as you.

Benefits of playing on your mental health

There are various health advantages of playing, particularly for your emotional and mental well-being. The first advantage of playing is that it makes you feel happy, joyful, liberated, and enthusiastic. Your mental condition can be improved by these things alone because happiness and freedom have the ability to heal any illness. Now, let’s examine the additional advantages of playing.
 

o    Plying reduces stress as it reduces cortisone levels, a hormone associated with stress. 
o    It provides relaxation and mental calmness.
o    It encourages creativity and problem-solving skills.
o    It fosters cognitive flexibility and makes you think out of the box.
o    It enables you to take on challenges in innovative ways without any pressure.
o    It increases your social interaction.
o    It promotes mindfulness and improves your focus to be in the present moment.
o    It enhances self-esteem.
o    It improves your mood, increases your energy levels, and increases positive thinking.

Conclusion

To summarise, playing is essential to preserving and improving your mental health. It enhances your quality of life, develops resilience in the face of adversity, and accesses a plethora of physiological advantages by adopting the science of play. So, come on, let’s play!!!