Why play is an essential part of the human experience

Resentment, stress, and general annoyance can build up if we don’t take time to do things that spark joy

I’ve been reading a lot of self-help books recently. I’m fascinated with self-improvement and sometimes I feel like these books of recommendations and advice are the only things that can ‘fix me’.

One of the most recent I’ve read was Brené Brown's incredible and thought-provoking The Power of Vulnerability. The book has many amazing insights, but the one I want to discuss today is play.

Brown’s research in social work stresses the importance of creative play in living a life of joy.

What particularly stood out to me is her assertion that if we leave our creativity unharnessed it doesn’t have an outlet. Instead it festers, manifesting as stress, judgment, anxiety, and many other negative emotions.

Many people tend to dismiss or look down upon adults engaged in hobbies and other creative endeavours. From jokes about art students serving coffee to snide remarks about the childishness of adults who pursue passions, these comments seem particularly mean-spirited. But Brown argues that some of this is due to people repressing their own creative instinct, which is what makes them unpleasant.

But this doesn’t mean that people in creative fields and occupations are the only ones who are creative.

According to Brown, two factors determine the act of play. The first is that you never want it to end, and the second is that is has no discernable purpose. Play is not meant to lead to advancement. It is for its own sake. You can get the same joy from playing with your cat as pursuing a creative career.

After reading her argument, I came to realise that I had become too focused on ‘growing’ as a person. I was constantly pushing to progress. Striving to become more perfect.

But that narrowing of purpose had an effect on who I had become. As a person I was more anxious, more judgmental, and more bitter. And who wants to spend time with someone like that? I didn’t. But I was. After all, you are the person you spend the most time with.

So I sat down and wrote out the things that I consider to be play. The things that I want to do that have no discernible purpose other than fun. The things I never want to end.

I settled on coding. That might sound like I’m still pushing myself to be productive. To add value to my skill set and resume. But that’s not true.

I’m not coding because I have any plans of changing my career. I’m coding because I want to engage in passion projects. Things that bring me absolute joy and happiness.

To me, coding is an act that can make something from nothing. It can conjure things into life. The concept is so wild and awesome to me that I can’t wait to dive right in whenever I have time.

And I’ve tried not to stop there.

Walking, embroidering, baking, crafting. I’m looking to develop my interest in all this and more. I want a life where I give myself space to engage with myself and the world around me. A life with less resentment and more joy.

This article is part of Stripe, bdnews24.com's special publication focusing on culture and society from a youth perspective.