As grown-ups, we tell ourselves and one another to sort our sh*t out. Stay Playful To Find Your Flow With furrowed brows, we think hard about which is the right next move and how things will pan out.
The mental pressure is inevitably reflected in our form and experience: tightness and aches in the body, consistent low energy and motivation.
The play instinct
With all this serious thought, there is little inclination to play. We know that our time is precious and our work asks for our full attention. Yet remember, it is through play that we learn. We remember how to be right here. We remember how to be curious and how to dive in without caution or risk analysis. In play, we are able to connect with a part of us that is still very much alive (if, perhaps, a little neglected).
Underneath the layers of responsibility, habit patterns and burdensome worries, we are a breathing pulsing malleable being full of curiosity, wonder and heart.
The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect
but by the play instinct.Carl Jung
Most of us spend a lot of time practicing a type of alertness that is reactive and lends itself to productivity and efficiency.
We practice (and are encouraged to practice) distraction. Our attention can scatter and skim across articles and briefings, we may multi-task often, and as such, deep single pointed focus is a rare experience.
This mode may be effective much of the time yet it is not sustainable for long sprints of time, we will fatigue. Crucially, it is not the mode of innovation.
Like child’s play
Watching a child play is an example of pure play, of absorption, whether crushing petals for a potion, playing ball or weaving an imaginary story. To cultivate your own flow state, explore the activities in which you may ‘lose yourself’, where time fades away. Investing in more moments like these – engrossed in the surf, the forest, creating in the kitchen, playing or listening to music – strengthens the muscle of presence, of being, of flow.
I am just a child who has never grown up. I still keep asking these ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions. Occasionally, I find an answer.
Stephen Hawking
As children we embraced the playfulness of this being human with unbridled courage and interest. By dropping our guard, loosening our mental and physical grip, a whole new way of being becomes possible. If we give ourselves permission to be playful in pockets of time throughout our day, our week, we may begin to notice the depth and variety in the shades of the sky, a renewed interest and warmth in our interactions, an increased ability to go off script and switch between modes.
We are all creative
Many people do not consider themselves creative. It is a travesty, for we all have the capacity to play, and therefore to create. By focussing on the end goal, we forget to savour and delight in the process, even the flaws and failings.
Beyond our rational everyday sphere of thinking. Our largely untapped imagination and instincts lie eager for the space to unravel and engender new ideas.
Small risk, huge benefits
What makes you feel alive? What excites you? Where do you feel at home and free? Go there.
Simply, practice and weave this approach into your everyday. Make a little time for play. Allow yourself to be a little less serious, a little less on guard. The risk is small and the potential benefits manifold.
By practicing inhabiting playfulness and finding the joy in simple pleasures, our play instinct is renewed, our energy vital, our whole approach transformed.
Louise Wellby, Head of Content