Letting Go of Exhaustion During Lockdown


On the first day of lockdown I was running a leisure group with a colleague, and I asked each of the clients to name their favourite game as a child. After each person in the room had had their turn, I asked them to think back to how they felt when they were playing that game, and when was the last time they had that same feeling. I have written on many occasions about our need to keep busy and giving too much focus on work. But one thing that we have lost as a result of focusing on the grind is our ability to play. When was the last time you played, and laughed and felt as free as a bird? It was upon asking my clients that question that I myself was forced to reflect and ask myself what has been stopping me from playing and creating moments where I can experience joy with no sign of anxiety or stress in sight?

It is easy to blame our schedules, our responsibilities and even our dependents for having less time to play. But the truth is that we are in control of how we spend our time, and nobody else. This all clicked for me as I was reading about cultivating play and rest, while letting go of exhaustion as a status symbol and productivity as self-worth. In this chapter Brené Brown outlines how we have let go of play and rest because we have somehow been convinced that there isn’t time for that, there are more important things to tend to.

She goes on to quote Dr Stuart Brown, a psychiatrist, who is actually the founder of the National Institute for Play. In his book he writes, “the opposite of play is not work – the opposite of play is depression.” When we stop playing, we stop engaging in activities that bring us laughter and relief from our daily stressors, and we therefore open ourselves up to continued stress and ultimately depression. We are naturally programmed to play, as children it was instinct to play. Play helps children develop physically, cognitively and emotionally. Play is good!!!! So why shouldn’t we continue playing into and throughout our adulthood?

I will be the first to admit that I sometimes focus so much on what is going on around and to me, that I fail to create moments that fill me up. I turned 25 about 12 days ago, and with everything happening in the world I think it’s needless to say that my celebration did not go according to plan. I counted my blessings throughout the process, but I was so stuck on the original plan that I failed to create a new plan that was just as fun and thrilling within the new conditions.
 
This lockdown may not be your idea of fun or rest, but I encourage you to make a list of activities that bring you joy and meaning. Think of the things that you can do during this time, and even after, that are going to help bring laughter and childlikeness into your daily life. What is it going to take to bring out your inner child? And if that sounds too farfetched, I want you to ask yourself what is going to be the end result if you carry on with the high speed life. Remember, the opposite of play is not work.

I am an Occupational Therapist by profession, but I have many roles that bring meaning to my life. In short, I love people, books and love.

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