We only laugh when we are happy, right? It’s one approach, for sure. We can see playfulness, laughter and fun as a product of state of mind, and enjoy it when it comes along.
However, it is far more useful to recognise playfulness as a useful and impactful state that can make a difference to well-being, and to cultivate it deliberately.
I have had many clients who tell me they use comedy as a pick me up. Others that recognise that playing with their kids, and letting themselves go and be silly takes them to a different place, in a good way. And others that recognise the benefit of a good belly-laugh with friends is that it takes them out of themselves and their seriousness in a way that gives perspective and balance.
Stephen Gilligan identifies playfulness as a magical, archetypal energy that we all need. Along with tenderness and fierceness, he invites us to consider when and where we could do with turning up our playfulness to allow our energy to connect and flow. It’s an invitation I have found profoundly important over the years, and even more so just now.
So, when all seems serious and you feel the heaviness on you, why not find a playful energy and let it be. Feed it, grow it, and connect with it. As you play, you may just notice that the meaning you make of things moves, and more is suddenly possible. We are all magicians when we let ourselves be.
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