Give Yourself Permission to Play

When you unlock the part of your brain that allows you to feel free and less self-conscious, you become more creative, adventurous, and emotionally resilient in the process.?

As we “grow up,” we can find ourselves learning to be stoic or more serious-minded, especially compared to your younger selves.?

But there is huge value in creating a safe haven for your inner child that lives within the adult you. In doing so, you can learn to free yourself from your self-critical voice.?

Whether you can tap back into a time you felt free when you were younger—or if this is an opportunity to gift your inner child with this freedom for the first time—play is truly therapeutic.

Play:

• Reduces stress.?
• Releases feel good chemicals like endorphins.?
• Gets you to focus on the present moment (instead of ruminating about the regrets of the past or potential catastrophes of the future) quickly.?

When you play, you let your guard down, you let go of fear-based thinking, and that need to control everything diminishes.

This exercise can help you to rediscover the part of you that felt free, unabashed, and unafraid to make mistakes, fail, or lose control. You can flex your play muscles and achieve a sense of safety and security while doing so.

Exercise

1. Take a moment to think about the activities you enjoyed as a child (or, if that feels too out of reach, imagine what you might have liked to do, if you’d been able).
2. Reflect on some joyful moments from your younger years and think about what you were doing. Imagine what you’d like to do if you didn’t care what others thought.
3. Pick something, and play!

Here are some ideas for play you might include on your list:

• Play at a nearby park
• Skip down the street
• Go to a toy store
• Re-read favorite childhood books
• Build a fort
• Watch a cartoon or children’s movie
• Sing/dance to your favorite songs
• Dress up in a costume
• Play with puppets

The Impact of Play

Giving yourself permission to play and enjoy—without keeping score or racking up points in your head or with others—gives your inner child an opportunity to heal from being denied the pleasures of play when you were a child.?

This is a wonderful gift to both your present and inner child/past self—to be able to relive the wonders and treasures of childhood and giving yourself a break from daily pressures and responsibilities—many of which harbor high expectations that come from your self-critical voice.

I challenge you to set aside some time to play this week. Let me know how it goes.

Here’s to your happiness,

Dr. Judy Ho

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About me:

Dr. Judy Ho, Ph. D., ABPP, ABPdN is a triple board certified and licensed Clinical and Forensic Neuropsychologist, a tenured Associate Professor at Pepperdine University, television and podcast host, and author of Stop Self-Sabotage.?An avid researcher and a two-time recipient of the National Institute of Mental Health Services Research Award, Dr. Judy maintains a private practice where she specializes in comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations and expert witness work. She is often called on by the media as an expert psychologist and is also a sought after public speaker for universities, businesses, and organizations.

Dr. Judy received her bachelor's degrees in Psychology and Business Administration from UC Berkeley, and her masters and doctorate from SDSU/UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology. She completed a National Institute of Mental Health sponsored fellowship at UCLA's Semel Institute.