Get Out & Play: Why Adults Need Play Just as Much as Kids

When Life Stops Feeling Fun

Being an adult can feel like an endless loop of responsibilities. Work. Bills. Relationships. Deadlines. Dishes. There’s always something that needs your attention. Always something waiting for you to do more, be more, give more. 

Somewhere along the way, we lose something essential; joy for the sake of joy.

We stop climbing trees. We stop dancing in the street. We stop laughing until our stomachs hurt. We forget what it feels like to play.

Why? Play isn’t just for kids. It never was.

Play is one of the most powerful, healing, and necessary experiences we can give ourselves, at every stage of life. And the more overwhelmed, disconnected, and exhausted we feel, the more urgently we need it.

Why Play Mattered in Childhood and Still Matters Now

Play is how children explore the world. It’s how they learn creativity, boundaries, resilience, and connection. Through play, kids practice navigating complex emotions, experiment with new roles, build social skills, and develop a sense of self.

In fact, play is so central to childhood development that a lack of it has been linked to significant cognitive, emotional, and interpersonal difficulties. Children who are deprived of play may struggle with:

• Emotional regulation

• Social connection and communication

• Creative thinking and problem-solving

• A sense of agency or self-expression

And while we recognize how essential play is for children’s growth, we often forget that its psychological benefits don’t disappear with age. We may outgrow recess, but we don’t outgrow our need for joy, curiosity, imagination, and connection.

The Mental Health Benefits of Play in Adulthood

In adulthood, play becomes less about development and more about restoration; a return to parts of ourselves that have been buried under pressure, perfectionism, and performance. Here’s what happens when we give ourselves permission to play:

It Improves Mood and Reduces Stress

Play naturally stimulates the release of endorphins, our body’s feel-good chemicals. It helps regulate cortisol (the stress hormone), increases dopamine (which supports motivation and pleasure), and elevates mood without needing to "fix" anything.

It Enhances Emotional Resilience

Engaging in playful activities gives your nervous system a break. It creates psychological distance from pressure and helps regulate emotions without over-intellectualizing or numbing out.

Play allows you to experience joy, silliness, and spontaneity, which strengthens your capacity to tolerate difficult emotions when they arise.

It Encourages Movement

Many forms of play are physical, even if gentle; dancing, walking, playing games, hiking, sports, or just goofing off. These increase physical activity without the pressure of “working out,” which benefits mood, sleep, and energy.

It Promotes Social Connection

Play encourages laughter, cooperation, and shared experience. Whether it’s a game night with friends, playing tag with your dog, or taking an improv class, playful social interaction deepens bonds and reduces feelings of loneliness.

It Boosts Creativity and Cognitive Flexibility

Play invites us to think outside the box. It exercises our imagination, problem-solving, and perspective-taking. This helps with decision-making, adaptability, and even conflict resolution in everyday life.

It Strengthens Identity and Self-Trust

When we play, we’re not performing. We’re expressing. We get to reconnect with parts of ourselves we’ve forgotten; our curiosity, our courage, our absurdity. And that reconnection builds self-esteem that isn’t tied to productivity.

What If You Didn’t Get to Play as a Child?

If your childhood lacked opportunities for safe, joyful play, because of trauma, neglect, rigid expectations, or overwhelming responsibilities, it’s possible that even now, play feels confusing or uncomfortable.

You might wonder:

• What’s the point?

• Isn’t play childish?

• What if I don’t know how to have fun anymore?

And those are valid responses to a world that may have taught you that play was dangerous, wasteful, or not allowed. But that only makes the invitation more important. Reclaiming play as an adult is not just about pleasure; it’s about healing. It’s about giving your nervous system what it didn’t get. It’s about remembering that joy, imagination, and aliveness belong to you.

So, What Does Adult Play Look Like?

Play doesn’t have to mean games (though it can). It’s any activity that feels joyful, expressive, imaginative, or energizing; with no outcome attached.

Here are just a few possibilities:

• Drawing, painting, or creating without the goal of being “good” at it

• Party Games, Polaroid Scavenger Hunt

• Laser Tag, Frisbee, Pickelball

• Rock Climbing, Riding Bikes, Boating

• Building with LEGOs, puzzles, or clay

• Playing with your pet

• Having a silly voice contest with a friend

• Going outside just to move your body and feel the air

• Making up a game, a story, or a new rule for the day

• Dressing in something wild, weird, or wonderful, just because

The key isn’t what you do. It’s how you do it. Allow yourself to become immersed in the excitement, curiosity, and joy. Release yourself from worrying about what other people are thinking and let go of expectations, rigidity, and rules. You don’t have to be anyone but you.

Permission to Enjoy Your Life

Play is not a luxury. It’s not a reward for getting everything else done. It’s a basic human need; especially when life feels heavy. So if you’ve been overwhelmed, uninspired, disconnected, or tired of feeling like it’s all just too much, try this:

Get Out & Play!

Not because it solves everything, but because it changes the way you feel, because it opens a door, because it reminds you that life can be more than just surviving.

You’re allowed to enjoy being alive.

And if you’ve forgotten how, that’s okay.

Play is patient. It’s still waiting for you!