So how about some play time!    

How much time do you spend just playing? Playing is for kids, we think. "I hardly have time to wash and set my hair or do my nails," said one of my clients, a full-time businesswoman with two kids. "You must be joking. I don't even have time to eat calmly or read for pleasure." I totally identify with her. I live in New York City, where the pace of life runs at least double speed. Most active and working adults work from nine in the morning to seven or sometimes eight o'clock in the evening, with not much of a lunch break. Late dinners are many times accompanied by the residue of take-home work. The household chores and attention to the kids usually take the little time that is left. Who can even think of playtime?

  

I have personally found that if I don't strongly commit to playtime and schedule it, I never get to play. Playtime has an amazing effect on my spirit. It is a great remedy for stress.


What is it that I mean by playtime? It means doing something that is purely pleasurable or silly and lighthearted, just for the sake of having a good time. This means different things to different people. For some, it's sitting around with friends, joking, laughing, and generating silliness. Others love the quiet of a chess game, puzzles, or board games. Yet others love to walk in nature or just sit under a tree or on the beach, watching the clouds and listening to the birds. There are also people who love to expend a lot of energy during their playtime activities. This might be a vigorous game of football, mountain climbing, rock climbing, or scuba diving. In one of the creative exercises that follow, I suggest making a list of your pleasures. Be sure to make this list, and do your best to schedule playtime with yourself and your loved ones. Daily mini play times and longer ones on the weekends are as necessary as food. Ultimately, you are here to experience joy and follow your bliss. Playtime is a custom the road to enlightenment.