A Bit More On Whimsy (Because I Just Can’t Be Stopped!)

It may just be the corner of the internet I’m in, but I’ve noticed very many people have wanted to make their lives more whimsical this year. Though I haven’t seen a “whimsy-maxxing” wellness trend just yet, I do think there’s something to be said for occasional playfulness, particularly in adults.

Cas Holman, author of Playful: How Play Shifts Our Thinking, Inspires Connection, and Sparks Creativity, found that adults (of which I am now one!) often suppress their needs for creativity, joy, and playfulness as they age. Instead, we become “preoccupied with fear, judgment, and self-criticism.”  

Though newly an adult, I can assure you, a preoccupation with “fear, judgment, and self-criticism” isn’t all that sustainable – trust, half of my high school years I’d spent either masked or in the ether of a Google Meet.

Holman, fortunately, has recommended a three-step plan that may allow us to reclaim a sense of play: embracing possibility, releasing judgment, and reframing success.

I’m not very good at releasing judgement and reframing success (just yet!), but I have found myself embracing possibility a bit more than usual.

Earlier this school year, I’d taken up gymnastics – again. I was a competitive gymnast for ten or so years, but I’d fallen out of love with the sport in my last year. The demanding practices that filled up each of my weeks had taken their toll on my body and mind – so much so that breakdowns were scheduled into my training. 

It’d taken quite a bit to get me back into a gym (eight years, actually!), but adult gymnastics has been so very healing for my inner child

Gymnastics may not be your entry into playfulness, though I do hope you’re able to make a bit of time for joy this week!