Do you want more connection in life…not the LinkedIn or Facebook kind, but meaningful, personal connection? If so, you will have to make more space for play.
Behind your busy, overworked (or under employed) life, you may be living in constant stress. Stress can be a form of fear: the fear of consequences, of failure, of disappointing those who depend on you, of not being enough. Fear in the form of stress takes a toll on your body, mind…and personal relationships.
What if you changed the direction? What if you stepped out of the stress of your many roles and playfully lived as you were meant to be?
In the clergy we used to talk about the ‘need’ to minister. This was not a good thing. It meant that the clergy person was not happy unless he/she felt needed. Their identity as persons was caught up in their role as clergy. It’s a form of work addiction.
When personal needs must come first, the constant need to be needed can morph into feeling like a fraud who is cheating others. This is an inability to relate to others as a complete person and not just a role. I have witnessed this often, especially among those in helping professions.
The solution? Play more! Playing is just as, if not more important than working, helping, serving, or organizing. Play balances us out. Through play we learn to reach down into the source of creative energy that makes us human. Through play we show our vulnerability. We are ‘naked’ as we intimately connect with others without the suffocating cloak of work-related roles.
Healthy play also restores balance to our nervous system. It neutralizes the power of our ‘primitive’ brain, the amygdala, that automatically pushes us into the ‘fight, flight, or freeze’ modes that can be the source of negative stress and poor health when misused.
When was the last time you really played? When was the last time you enjoyed a good belly-laugh (at no one’s expense!)? With whom among your good friends have you had a meaningful conversation in the past month? These forms of play cost nothing.
All life-giving rituals are play. Family celebrations, religious/spiritual practices, lovemaking/sex, hobbies, sports events, and civic/fraternal groups…they all have a value in your ability to let loose and enjoy life more fully. They have the potential of raising your inner consciousness and contentment. They help produce the endorphins you need to feel happy and successful as persons.
It’s not just work/life balance. Rather, it’s about elevating play as necessary as food and water.
Need help breaking old habits of work, work, work and creating new habits of play? Do you want deeper connections and become more productive and successful? I am here to help.
© 2021 Michael Parise
Do You Want More Play, More Connection?
- Perform better with by playing more.
- Release fear and stress to feel happier and more successful.
- Renew connections that give meaning to your life.
- Join Michael Parise in four coaching sessions that can increase your play-quotient.
- It’s all done over the phone in the privacy of your home.
- Discover how much more successful as a person you feel as you drive away the stress and fear.
Cost: $315.00 for 4 sessions
Twice per month for 2 months
Set up a 45-minute Discovery Session using Michael’s Calendly link
Blogs and Art: www.mpariselifecoach.com
Contact: Michael@MPariseLifeCoach.com
Text: 813-449-3904 or through LinkedIn.