#14. Feel your Feelings

#14. Feel your Feelings

Language shows us that naming an experience gives us the power of understanding and meaning." - Brené Brown, Atlas of the Heart

How Feeling Playful Shows Up Physically Surprise! Feeling playful also has great physical benefits too. Who knew?! Since playfulness is tapped into those happy hormones released in the brain, our body is going to follow suit. Here are some great physical benefits if you want to see for yourself:

  • Reduces cortisol levels
  • Lowers blood pressure
  • Strengthens immune system
  • Provides better sleep
  • Improves digestion
  • Reduces pain
  • Lengthens lifespan

Permission to Feel: This article discusses how developing emotional intelligence—through recognizing, labeling, and regulating emotions—can help us reconnect with our feelings and engage more meaningfully with others. Applying this to adult play could mean exploring how open emotional expression during play nurtures creativity and connection.

How can it be helpful to acknowledge you don’t feel OK? The simple act of labeling what you’re feeling (without judgment) can help regulate your emotions. Emotions come and go like waves, if we let them. The idea here is to ride the wave of emotion instead of trying to stop a giant wave and getting pushed around.

Can your emotions really lead to physical symptoms? “Hold on,” you might think. “My emotions don’t make me sick… do they?” They actually may, in a way.


Dr. Gloria Willcox

Note that the feelings depicted in the Feeling Wheel (below) are not a complete overview of all possible feelings and emotions. Rather, they serve as a guide and starting point that may help clients to describe their experiences.


Labeling feelings, also known as emotional labeling, can help you create distance from your emotions, which can lead to more playful responses. Play brings childlike wonder, well-being, and a sense of community in adulthood. Have a wonderful week!


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