Episode 63: Play, by host, Laura Milkins. Our guest, Amy Una, tells the story of her depression and social anxiety, and how going out in nature helps her feel grounded. She explains how expressing herself in a blog helps with both the anxiety and depression. Sunday, June 18, 2017.
To read Amy Una’s blog: https://memyselfanixty.wordpress.com/
Go Out and Play! Why You Shouldn’t Stop Acting Like a Kid
By Therese Borchard
(Excerpts)
Evolutionary biologist and animal behavioral specialist Marc Bekoff, PhD, once said that “play is training for the unexpected.” And psychiatrist and play expert Stuart Brown, MD, said, “Those who play rarely become brittle in the face of stress or lose the healing capacity for humor.”
I’m beginning to think that playing can even access parts of our brain that are blocked to mindfulness, meditation, and cognitive-behavioral therapy.
In an article published in the spring 2011 issue of the American Journal of Play, Boston College research professor Peter Gray, PhD, wrote:
Over the past half century or so, in the United States and in some other developed nations, opportunities for children to play, especially to play outdoors with other children, have continually declined. Over this same period, measures of psychopathology in children and adolescents — including indices of anxiety, depression, feelings of helplessness, and narcissism — have continually increased.
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Gray, author of Free to Learn, about the importance of play not only for kids, but for adults.
The Depression Session 