Heal with Grace

45. The Science of Play: Healing Through Joy and Laughter

• Grace Secker • Episode 45

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In this episode, we explore the vital role of play in adult life as a powerful tool for healing, stress relief, and overall well-being. Learn about the science behind how play, laughter, and physical activities like dancing can release dopamine, promoting relaxation and healing. Discover practical tips to integrate more play and creativity into your hectic schedule, whether through laughter breaks, spontaneous fun, or rekindling childhood joys. Understand how prioritising play can help soothe the nervous system, make you more present, and significantly reduce stress.

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Hello, beautiful people. Today we are talking about something a little different, but super important. Play. Yes. It's not just for kids. It's for adults too. And I really don't want you to skip over this one. So tune in because play is so vital to really healing our bodies and Understanding how to gain the vibrant part of ourselves back after we've gone through a lot of difficulty in life, especially when you're dealing with things like chronic illness, stress, or anxiety.

Joy and laughter and play can actually be some of the best medicine and I'm going to explain why we always talk about the science behind it, right? So we're gonna talk about that and then some tips to give you to move forward and start Adding in play to your life because even though that might sound obvious like you don't need to tell me how to play sometimes we need some tips because we're adults and we've gotten, you know, sucked in to the reality of the day to day and We've forgotten that little kid part of us that actually needs to come out and starts to play.

All right, let's get started.

So let's start with the science. Did you know that play actually rewires your brain? When you engage in play or laughter, your brain releases dopamine, which is like the ultimate feel good chemical. If we could just get a pill of dopamine, which I say that knowing that like pills don't do everything, but essentially if we could get more and more dopamine to our bodies, it releases the same chemical that gets released when you achieve something big or when you fall in love.

It's that powerful. And this is key. When your brain feels good, your nervous system starts to relax. And when your nervous system feels safe, your body starts to heal. Think about it. How many times have you felt stuck in the fight or flight mode? Constantly on edge, or maybe you've been frozen, not knowing how to move forward.

You're constantly dissociating. You're scrolling all the time, watching TV, going from thing to thing throughout the day, because it's really hard to stay present. That's your nervous system not feeling safe and play is a way to signal to your body. Hey, we're okay here. You can let go a little bit. You can surrender to the present moment.

It might be a little uncomfortable, but when you add play in, it actually says, Ooh, the present moment can feel safe and feel joyful. And the beautiful part is that play doesn't have to be elaborate or time consuming. It can be as simple as jumping on a trampoline like a kid again, doodling in a notebook, or having a spontaneous dance party in your living room.

If you've been following me, On social media, you might've seen a recent post that I did about how a study showed that one of the, actually the number one treatment for depression is dance. It was rated, it was shown to increase, uh, dopamine and serotonin and, um, decrease depression in the brain and in the body more so than anything else that it was studied.

including antidepressants, cognitive behavioral therapy, meditation, yoga, anything like that. And dance releases dopamine. Dance is play. Dance is fun. If you think about it this way, anxiety and depression are ways to control, right? So if you're fearful about the present, I'm sorry, if you're fearful about the future, if you're constantly thinking about what could happen, what should happen, and you're really nervous about it, and anxiety comes about, that's anxiety.

We're focusing on the future. If we're constantly thinking and ruminating and shaming ourselves or guilting ourselves over the past, that's more depression. And there's not a lot of play in either of those. Maybe we throw in some humorous memes about anxiety or depression, but actually that brings you back to fun and laughter, right?

That's the present. We need to bring ourselves into the present to actually get out of things like anxiety or depression. And so when we can include or we can bring about laughter and joy, We're pretty much in the present when we're experiencing those feel good, uh, times, right? That play and dance is that when you're dancing, when you're moving, when you're laughing, you're in the present.

You'd be amazed at how something that small can make a difference.

So, I get it, as adults, we're always, quote, too busy for fun, right? The work emails pile up, kids need something, dinner's burning, and by the time we sit down, the last thing on our minds is play. But let's flip the script here. What if I told you that adding play into your routine could actually make you more productive in the long run?

It's when you make time for laughter, time for play, time for connecting in the present moment. Having fun is when your body relaxes. Your mind actually clears up and your nervous system gets a little reset. It takes time for your brain and body to get into that place. And then when you can, that reset helps you get more done afterward because you're not running on empty.

And here's the thing. I'm not a proponent of like, how can we be more and more productive? Because I think that message is just used over and over and over again. Productivity equals, you know, that you're good enough. And I don't want to repeat that message. It's that when you can bring yourself into the present and add play and get that hit of dopamine in a playful way, Then your body, that cup fills up, the cup fills up in your body.

The one that you need, that usually is running on empty. And run, that cup is running on empty when your nervous system is in fight, flight, or freeze. You're constantly stretching yourself and looking to anything else to help you keep going. Whether that's more caffeine, whether that's more dissociation, whether that is running around, rushing all the time.

So if we add in more play instead of some of those things, you may not need to feel like you're on fight or flight all the time. So let's give, I'll give you an example. Here's maybe where to start, right? So find like five minute laughter break. Seriously, watch a funny video, tell a joke, whatever makes you Google.

What I have, what I do actually, if I'm not dancing or, you know, Something where, yeah, I might be tired, but, and I really just want to, like, turn off and disassociate. Instead, I go into, yes, it is social media, but let me tell you how I create boundaries around it. So I have two different accounts. I have my professional Heal with Grace account, and then I have a personal that I don't actually use anymore, but I have curated it to pretty much only show me funny videos.

So I will go on there, and I'll set a timer, whether it's Instagram or TikTok, I use those accounts. To literally just make me laugh. I have video after video of funny animals or Jokes about, I mean, laughter about healing, whatever it is. It's pure fun, pure laughter and It does lift my mood. Now, I am very boundaried with it.

I do not go and look at anything else I don't, I make sure that the accounts that I'm following are going to make me feel good. Not bad. Right? So I'm really, really careful to unfollow anyone that I recognize. I feel Like I'm in competition with or that I have a hard time paying attention to and not thinking, feeling bad about myself, right?

I unfollow all of those accounts. And that's anyone from an old friend that I have to, um, a influencer, whatever it is. And I truly just funny follow funny videos and when I notice if my feed starts to shift a little bit I'm like, uh uh. Okay, let's let's go back to the funny videos Or go to YouTube and watch something funny, right?

Something uplifting and always say yes to spontaneous fun. You don't need to plan your fun down to the minute Just let yourself be spontaneous. If a friend calls you up for a last minute coffee and you could make it work, go for it. And finally, stop taking yourself so seriously. We all mess up. We all have moments of awkwardness, and that's okay.

The more you laugh at yourself, the less stress your body holds onto. And when I say laugh at yourself, I truly mean it from a place of gentle, spontaneous, spontaneous. Curiosity and light laughter, right? We're not talking about self deprecating humor. We're not about that. We're not going to shit on ourselves because of something we did.

We can laugh about it lightheartedly, right? But it's not going to cut us deeply. So again, when we laugh, it's like telling our body, Hey. You can stop being tense now. Laughter is literally a form of release. Also, play doesn't have to be just about laughter. It can be about, um, going outside and climbing a tree, right?

Or going to play in a new environment that you haven't played in before or going to watch something interesting or different, right? Playing an old board game, playing cards, something like that. Usually it involves something more lighthearted. You know, something where your body can release the heaviness that it has and become present into the feel good, lighthearted sounds of play and laughter.

Creativity is also a really great form of play. When we use our creative part of our mind, it actually gets us way more into the present and helps us process things that we actually don't recognize that's probably underneath the surface. I've had many clients. include more creativity in their life that they feel maybe they've lacked or they haven't done in a while or they're trying something new.

I've had multiple clients use painting or drawing if that's something that feels good to you and it could just truly be anything but any kind of creativity that you can use. helps your brain get into that present moment and it can, and let it be playful, right? Sometimes it's not just about the painting.

It's about the joy that it brings you. It's the act of letting go and doing something that makes you feel alive and free. That's the power of play. It's not often, it can be, but not often about the activity itself. It's about the joy that sparks in you. That's why anything like dance is really creative, right?

Anything that brings you into that present moment, use that creative part of your mind. And if you're one of those people that's saying, I'm not a creative person, that's not me. I don't know how to play if I'm not creative. I'm going to dispel that right now. We all have a creative bone in our body, if you will.

Some people, it might come a little bit more naturally too, and they've been more into that artistry in their lives, but we all have an artist within us. You do not have to be perfect. It's not about what you do. It's about how you engage in it, right? And that's why they even like a game or a puzzle or something like that you move your body to Any so many things can be a creative outlet So I encourage you to try things out you do again.

You don't have to be good at it It's not about being good It's about being in the moment, being curious, learning something, playing with it, and see where it goes. It's really whatever makes you smile, whatever brings that lightness into your day that can be part of your healing journey too. So let's bring it back to what is healing.

Why it's so important as kids, we play all the time, right? Here's the thing as we grow up, it doesn't mean that just because we're adults, we need to stop that part of ourselves, but because we take on more responsibilities, we have to normally fit into the box of societal standards in our life. We often forget what play can feel like.

And. Then that kid, like part of ourselves is shunned away and it's pushed down, but that part needs air. That part wants to come out. That part helps soothe your nervous system. So much of our healing requires us to give the kid, like part of ourself that was shunned or shamed or criticized some love and attention and care and the ability to express itself.

So if you were a kid that liked sports, but you don't play sports anymore, find something to play, find something to join, find a league, start your backyard. If you're someone who has been an artist or a dancer, or as a kid, I loved to create comedy, but you don't do those things anymore. See how you could re engage with that in a safe and playful way.

And that's my homework for you. Yes, I'm giving you homework, but it's fun because this is all about fun and play, right? It's not something you have to do. I want you to find something playful to do that you want, whether it's five minutes or an hour. Just play. Jump around. Sing. Doodle. Dance. Jump on a trampoline.

Watch a funny video. I give you full permission to goof off. Because honestly, your healing depends on it. Your body can't heal if it's always in stress mode and the joy and laughter and play that you can bring to your life reduces that stress significantly. So if it feels a little uncomfortable or a little forced at first, that's totally okay.

That's natural. It's going to, because basically think about it this way. You've been out of practice of play for a while. You play all the time as a kid, but It's been however many years now since then, right? So it might feel a little forced or weird at first, or maybe you engage in something creative that you don't like.

That's fine. Be curious. Move on to the next thing. And if it's available to you, if your body is able. If you have a trampoline nearby, I cannot tell you how amazing it feels. I just did this this past weekend and I was like, I need a trampoline in my life. , it's not available to me to have all the time, but when I'm with my niece and nephews, You bet I'm going to go jump on that trampoline with them.

So this is your permission to go play. Give yourself a little love and laughter and joy. And if you want to share it with me, me on Instagram, or leave a comment and let me know what fun thing you did today. I want to hear about it. And until next time, keep playing, keep laughing and keep healing with grace.