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How Playing Like A Kid Helped Me Manage My Anxiety

Here Are Some Things You Can Try

By Elena AthonPublished 3 years ago 7 min read
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How Playing Like A Kid Helped Me Manage My Anxiety
Photo by Jonas Mosimann on Unsplash

I had never really heard of or thought about the idea that playing with kid's games could help reduce anxiety.

I was always under the impression that you just needed to think differently about your problems, and everything would be OK.

However, when my anxiety became too much to handle, I started searching for ways to manage it.

Spending time with my 4-year-old niece and playing games with her made me feel better.

I suddenly noticed that my anxiety reduced, and my mood was getting better.

Every time I played with her, I lost track of time and felt like a child again.

That's when I came across something called play therapy.

Play therapy is a type of psychotherapy in which an individual engages in playful activities such as drawing or playing with toys like Play-Doh.

These types of activities have been found to provide relief from stress and other mental health issues due to their ability to engage all five senses - sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste - at once.

Do you want to feel like a child again?

Let's discover some ways to turn back time and feel great again.

1. Play with kids

Do you have friends with children or nephews and nieces? Then whenever you're around them, play with them. Their parents would love to spend time with you and their children at the same time.

Playing with kids can help you reduce your anxiety.

It's true!

By Veronica García on Unsplash

There are many real-world and scientific benefits to playing with children.

One of the most important is that it lowers stress hormones like cortisol, which helps improve mental clarity by reducing tension throughout your body while also increasing happiness levels.

There's nothing like the feeling of being a kid again! Playing with kids can help you have fun and laugh from your heart.

It brings out that inner child in all of us no matter how old we are, so don't forget to play every now and then too - it will remind you why life is worth living.

2. Draw or color pictures

In case you don't have kids of your own or friends with kids, it doesn't matter. You can have all the fun in the world, you just have to play on your own.

Visit your local craft store and buy some supplies.

Put some color in your life, and add crayons, markers, watercolors, and whatever catches your eye.

When you draw or color, it can be a very therapeutic activity for people who suffer from stress and anxiety because of its connection to creativity and imagination. Drawing is said to help with reducing tension in both children as well as adults.

By Volodymyr Hryshchenko on Unsplash

Coloring will help you to reduce stress and anxiety by having fun.

Remember that happiness is contagious and can have an effect on those around you!

Hopefully, these suggestions will inspire you to explore new activities worth trying out!

So get your hands dirty today by finding some creative projects.

I've tried it with my friends, and we had such a great time... We talked, drawn while drinking hot chocolate.

What can be better than this?

3. Sing children's songs

Singing kids songs is another great way that can help you reduce your anxiety!

Don't look the other way.

I know you also love them, and you shouldn't feel guilty about it.

Kids' songs are so fun.

Maybe it's because they're so darn happy, or perhaps the feeling of nostalgia is too strong.

Either way: kids' music is an excellent tool for reducing stress and calming down when we feel anxious.

By Matt Botsford on Unsplash

It may sound cheesy, but scientists have found that listening closely to children singing lullabies lowers blood pressure levels and increases relaxation hormones in adults.

These tunes might just save your sanity (and health) from time to time.

My niece and I love singing "Let it go" the theme song from the movie Frozen while being dressed up as Elsa and Anna.

Sorry, I won't post these pictures, but you can imagine...

4. Build something out of Lego bricks

Lego bricks are an excellent solution when it comes to working out your frustrations.

The colorful geometric pieces can help you focus on something constructive and creative that will release the pent-up energy.

When I feel really anxious about something, the one thing that always seems to help is building Lego bricks.

It turns out there's a lot of scientific research behind this too!

So when we build things and see them come together in front of us, it activates our brain's reward system.

It increases serotonin levels, leading you to feel less stressed or sad.

By Rick Mason on Unsplash

Lego is a fantastic way to boost your mood. When you build something with Lego, it can unlock creativity while boosting self-esteem and relieving stress at the same time!

I'm not sure about you, but I always feel so much better after building something out of Legos because there's just this sense of accomplishment that comes along with it.

You're literally creating things from scratch that unlock some serious creative potential and boosts confidence levels.

Doing all these cool little things like a castle or a car will make you proud - anything really since everything starts off on one single block!

It might sound silly but when I felt stressed before my last test, playing around with lego bricks ended up helping me clear my mind and

5. Watch cartoons (like Spongebob Squarepants)

Watching some of your favorite cartoons is a great way to take care of yourself when you need it the most - whether that means anytime or just on days when you're feeling down in the dumps or stressed out.

I love going to my best friend's house and spending time with her little sister, a huge fan of Disney movies like Beauty and the Beast or Frozen.

She loves singing along to all their songs while pretending she's on stage for an audience full of people cheering for her—and this makes me feel better about myself too!

By Justin Lim on Unsplash

There are a lot of reasons for which some people like watching cartoons.

Not only does it help to relieve stress levels, but many viewers also say that their favorite part about them is just how hilarious they can be despite dealing with a serious subject matter where everything seems doomed.

Plus, there's always at least one good reference joke!

There's nothing like a good cartoon to reduce anxiety and bring out that inner child in all of us, don't you think?

6. Read a fairytales

Do you remember when you were a child, and your parents read fairytales to you?

Now you can do the same thing, only you will have to do it yourself.

You can also listen to audiobooks, making you feel like you are young again and you have a grownup read to you.

By Annie Spratt on Unsplash

It can make you go to sleep in no time.

Fairytales are a great way to relax and escape from reality.

Reading them can help you feel better by taking your thoughts away from problems or simply making time pass faster.

A recent study found that 73% of participants who read a children's book before bed reduced their feelings of stress, and 74% said the readings made them less anxious.

Reading may be just what your doctor ordered!

7. Play with puzzles

An excellent way to reduce stress and anxiety is by playing puzzles. They are a fun, interactive activity that helps you stay focused on the task at hand rather than your worries.

Playing puzzle games can be an effective way to relieve stress because it requires attention.

By Hans-Peter Gauster on Unsplash

Instead of just lying in bed thinking about your problems (that will only worsen how you feel), you're doing something productive!

They're not only great for staving off boredom but also have been shown in studies by psychologists at Harvard University Medical School to reduce anxiety.

In fact, it's estimated that playing puzzle games may even increase serotonin levels which are linked with reducing stress-related hormones like cortisol and epinephrine!

By Andrei Panfiloiu on Unsplash

So when life gets tough, take some solace from these scientifically proven benefits of this favorite childhood pastime - adults are allowed too!

You probably remember the feeling of freedom and joy from your childhood. Well, you're not too old to enjoy it again.

There's no time better than now for you to have some fun in your life!

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About the Creator

Elena Athon

Blogging has allowed me to explore my creativity and voice in ways that I never knew were possible - all while connecting with people who are passionate about the same things as myself. Check out my blog: www.butterfulsoul.com

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