June 13th, 2024

WHY ADULTS SHOULD PLAY
This week I received a press release entitled, “The tragedy of becoming an adult” and it got me thinking about how we’re supposed to behave at certain ages. How many people have  judged a pair of women sliding off their chairs in peels of laughter in a restaurant for sharing something funny between them? Or glanced disapprovingly at people over the age of 30 dancing on the table in  a bar? 
Three years ago I took my eldest daughter to Tromso, north of the Arctic Circle. I booked us a trip at midnight to see the Northern lights and as we all got off the minibus and waded waist deep in snow, I threw a snowball at her. A full-on snowball fight ensued and we were rolling around in the snow chucking snowballs at each other, giggling hysterically to the point when I couldn’t breathe whilst the rest of the group looked bewildered at us wondering how to react.
Every year my kids line the swimming pool with floaties from one end to the other and we carry out our own version of Total Wipeout. Last year a woman leaned over the balcony of her apartment to ask us to stop laughing so loud as it was disturbing her watching television. Can you imagine being so miserable and bitter?
I was always the mother climbing into the ball pool with my toddler children and going down slides with them, I took them as an excuse so I could go.
This weekend I’m part of a three day hen party, or Brenda Bender as it was recently labelled,  in Ayia Napa where we’ll be throwing ourselves into the foam party at Nissi beach, knocking back shots at the clubs and generally having a jolly good time.
Recent studies have shown how play is vital for adults to keep our brains flexible and open, ensure spontaneity and interconnection, and can go as far as to alleviate depression. Yet many don’t make the time, for fear of judgment or sheer lack of ability—the average adult now logs more hours at work than a 14th-century peasant according to Newsweek. 
I can’t imagine a world where I am not playing or laughing or dancing or singing the wrong lyrics to songs I love.. I’ve been labelled ‘wild’ because I don’t conform to society’s expectations of a woman in her 50s. Why shouldn’t I have fun? I’m fitter than many people half my age and have more energy than most. Am I supposed to just sit in a rocking chair for the next 30 years and wait to die? So many people choose to do this and it’s existing, not living.
Every adult should make time to play and be silly. It’s so restricting when you’re worried what other people think of you.
Recently my daughter said to me, “Don’t you think you’re too ld to do that?” And I asked her why? Because we’re conditioned in society to behave a certain way, to not draw attention to ourselves. When we hit 40, are we supposed to sip G&T’s listening to classical music, nodding occasionally with a little smile in appreciation of our circumstances? My brain still functions as a 25 year old but without the inhibitions and anxiety that come with youth.
Laughter has a positive impact on nearly your entire body — it benefits your immune system and respiratory function, aids muscle relaxation, assists with pain relief, and stimulates circulation. Laughing also has a role in the process of healthy aging which is why I look younger than my actual age.
Adults should definitely take time to play, it’s also been proved to sharpen your sense of humour which is why I am so fucking hilarious. In a world where we’re conditioned to focus on work and reaching our goals, manage our finances and generally being successful it’s also important to remember to loosen up. Play is similar to meditation in that it helps you focus on where you're at in the moment and reset your busy, perpetually exhausted adult mind.
​Work hard, play harder is not just a phrase, it’s my mantra.

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