Psychiatrist Stuart Brown states in his new book, Play: How It Shapes The Brain, Opens The Imagination And Invigorates The Soul
that the opposite of work is not play. It’s depression.

Brown conducted more than 6,000 play studies with many different people from serial killers to career obsessed CEOs.  These studies examined the results when people do not take the time to “play”.  If Brown is right in his findings, we could become a nation of stress-filled, hypertensive individuals who suffer far more than we need to and-at the very extreme-become downright dangerous to ourselves and others.

Given the current bad news of economic turmoil, layoff paranoia, kidnapped children, ecological disasters, growing unemployment lines, the notion of taking time to play sounds childish. Anacharsis, a 6th BCE philosopher stated that we are to, “Play so that you may be serious.” Even in the Hellenistic world, play gave rise to scientists, writers, philosophers, and builders of great civilizations.

While we rebuild businesses, cities and counties and our global community play becomes the non-chemical stimulant for channeling stress into something productive.  Find your favorite activity and do it often.  Your blood pressure, business and family will thank you.

Even president Obama unwinds with a game of hoops. No other leader in modern time has had to face so many internal and external challenges and yet he finds time to play!

Think of these examples and you’ll note that play is as much a state of mind as it is an activity. It is a mental release that reduces stress levels in the body and engages the brain in a totally different type of thinking.

Take these three steps to enter the world of play:

1. Give yourself permission. Put a play date with yourself on the calendar and treat it as sacred as the meeting with your most important client. Remind yourself that you’ll be refreshed and thinking more clearly if you play.

2. Find the play that best suits you. It might be something that occurred during the week. It might be as simple as walking the dog or as complex as taking an eco-adventure tour. It might be a romantic night with your best beloved or a sweaty 100-mile bike ride. Whatever it is-in the doing, you feel a sense of contentment and joy.

3. Encourage others to play. Make sure you’re not the driver who keeps employees chained to their desks but rather, lead the way. If you’re in a position to do so, create a Fun Friday where everyone takes a turn at coming up with something that evokes joy, laughter, and contentment. One organization restricted e-mail on Fridays between anyone in the building. Instead, messages were sent via a paper airplanes.

Martin Buber, German Jewish biblical scholar believed that “play is the exultation of the possible.” Isn’t that what we all are looking for now-what is possible!

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Since 1980, Hall of Fame speaker Eileen McDargh has helped Fortune 100 companies as well as individuals create connections that count and conversations that matter. Executive Excellence ranks her among the top 100 thought-leaders in leadership development. Her newest book, Gifts from the Mountain available at http://www.eileenmcdargh.com/books/ received the 2008 Ben Franklin book award.