We have put “play” as one of our Big Self pillars from the very beginning, but I don’t think we’ve done a single episode on it. We do talk about creativity and gratitude. But that’s not quite the same thing. For one thing, it’s hard to really define what we even mean by play. In fact it’s so elusive to really define for adults, even after I had decided we definitely need to do an episode on play, I started wondering if this is really something our audience needs or wants. We’re talking about serious stuff on this podcast, stuff that is going to help people in their pain, in their crisis’. And then we realized, that experience is the very process we undergo for YEARS as we transition into adulthood. Important for us or not, play can feel silly, certainly unproductive, and time consuming.  And that’s precisely the point. On today’s episode we are going to do the impossible: we are going to seriously persuade you to PLAY. This better be fun. Time Stamps: 3:04--Let me ask you a question about play 6:28--Great questions, but how are defining play? 10:59--There's a lot of variability in the definition of play 13:12--There are "four different styles of play" 21:30--In which Shelley geeks out on the parasympathetic nervous system 29:24--Quote by Jean Piaget 33:32--3 suggestions for play Show Notes and Links: https://www.museumofplay.org/journalofplay/ (American Journal of Play) http://www.amazon.com/Play-Shapes-Brain-Imagination-Invigorates/dp/1583333789/?tag=psychcentral (Play) by Stuart Brown, MD https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062391360/well-played/ (Well Played: The Ultimate Guide to Awakening Your Family’s Playful Spirit) by Meredith Sinclair http://www.nifplay.org/ (National Institute for Play) A list of http://nifplay.org/biblio_fin.html (research on play) Stuart Brown’s http://www.ted.com/talks/stuart_brown_says_play_is_more_than_fun_it_s_vital.html (TED talk on play) Scott Eberle’s blog http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/play-in-mind (“Play in Mind”) http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Definitions_of_Play (Play definition) Study: “https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311631718_A_new_structural_model_for_the_study_of_adult_playfulness_Assessment_and_exploration_of_an_understudied_individual_differences_variable (A new structural model for the study of adult playfulness: Assessment and exploration of an understudied individual differences variable)” Study: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01490400.2013.761905?journalCode=ulsc20 (The Playful Advantage: How Playfulness Enhances Coping with Stress) Study: https://www.europeanjournalofhumour.org/index.php/ejhr/article/view/Rene%20Proyer (The well-being of playful adults: Adult playfulness, subjective well-being, physical well-being, and the pursuit of enjoyable activities) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-big-self-podcast/id1485907203 (Subscribe on Apple iTunes) https://open.spotify.com/show/1yx9VzUCRcYezd7cUlSRn4?si=Xygeo5a7T0ePnX7IaHu0AQ (Subscribe on Spotify) Follow up with us and check out our https://www.bigselfschool.com/coaching (Burnout Coaching Package here).