Rest isn’t the same as play, and you knew it when you were 4

Something I notice a lot with adults, especially the ones who are responsible and used to getting things done, is that when they get tired, the only thing they know how to do is shut down.

They’ll say they need to relax, but what that usually means is scrolling, watching something, laying there, trying not to think.

And sometimes that’s exactly what your body needs.

But there’s another state that most people don’t even realize they’re missing, which is play.

Not rest. Not productivity. Play.

The kind of thing you do when you’re engaged in something just because it feels good to do it, and there isn’t a goal attached to it.

Kids do this naturally. Adults… not so much.

Somewhere along the way, we start feeling like if we’re doing something, it should be useful. Or productive. Or at least leading somewhere.

So when we’re exhausted, the only options left are keep working, or completely check out. And after a while, that’s actually part of why people stay so drained.

Play uses your brain differently than work, but it also uses it differently than zoning out. It’s one of the few places where you’re active without being evaluated.

And most adults don’t get much of that anymore.

Something to think about this week:

What’s something you used to enjoy doing before your brain started asking what the point of it was?