How to Stop Worrying Through Creative Play

Integrating creative play into daily routines can significantly reduce stress in adults and act as a tool for how to stop worrying by offering mental and emotional benefits like those experienced by children. It helps develop self-expression, enhance creativity, and provide a healthy escape from the pressures of adult life.

Children often mimic adults during playtime mimicking the mundane tasks of household chores, extinguishing imaginary fires, or gathering their favorite toys for a math lesson. Children use their imaginations to mimic the perceived freedom of adulthood.

However, while adulthood does come with more independence, it also comes with financial burdens, responsibility, and sometimes physical aches and pains. These not-so-glamorous aspects of adult life can lead to stress and worry.

While children use play for creative outlets and to escape from reality, most adults don’t. An increasing number of therapists recognize the benefits of play time for adults. Just as children use play to escape into fantastical worlds, adults can leave their worries behind by engaging in some lighthearted play.

Therapists may encourage play to increase self-esteem, decrease stress, and distract from worry. Don’t confuse play therapy with free time playing. Play therapy is usually used with children.

It is a deliberate act where a professional therapist observes children as they play in various role-playing activities or a specific type of play. Even if you don’t plan on participating in a structured play therapy session, you can borrow some of the many benefits of playing to manage stress and worry.

Some people think of their hobbies as their playtime. The two ideas, while similar, are not interchangeable. Hobbies tend to involve ongoing skills that you build on and improve over time. In contrast, play does not require proficiency; there is no need for a skill set or to have a particular goal in mind. Play simply means having fun with no skill level needed.

Playing is more of a mindset than the specific activity that you’re doing. For example, two people can be throwing a ball and only one of the people might be truly playing.

One player might imagine themselves on the mound of a major league game or create a game of seeing how many different ways they can throw the ball. The other player, although seemingly engaged in the same activity, might simply be throwing a ball and using their physical bodies but not their imaginations.

How to use play as a tool for how to stop worrying

Playing is a state of mind. It is important to immerse oneself in an activity that not only provides enjoyment but also suspends time. Here are some ideas:

Role play

Children role-play as astronauts, chefs, and anything that interests them. Most adults don’t think that role-playing games are for grownups, but there are some real-life advantages to adult role-playing.

There are even therapeutic approaches such as the Gestalt and Adlerian models that encourage adult role-playing to get some distance from people’s lives and the complicated emotions that are involved. Many video games allow players to immerse themselves in fantastic fantasy worlds.

As a Christian, it is important to be mindful of the types of role-playing games you engage in. While it’s healthy to role-play as certain characters, it’s important not to lose yourself in a mystical world that does not honor God. There are also board games that allow players to role-play in cooperative efforts with other players.

Another form of role-playing is acting. Adults can take an acting or improv class to help them learn how to relax while role-playing. Another form of role-playing requires players to take on the role of detective to escape the room or participate in a murder mystery party. Buy a kit, invite some friends, and encourage costumes for a night of fun. Plan another themed party. Writing a fictional story is also a form of role-playing that might be worth exploring.

Creative arts

Expressing yourself through creative outlets is a great way to communicate feelings and thoughts you might not be able to express with vocabulary. Try painting, sculpting, drawing, or dancing to communicate difficult feelings and thoughts.

Even people who don’t feel they have artistic abilities can enjoy scrapbooking, creative journaling, and collage-making. You don’t have to be artistically talented or even interested in the arts to benefit from creativity. Other possible ways to create include simple doodling, woodworking, decorating, or sewing. Buy an embroidery kit or create your own design.

Crafty ideas

Engaging in crafts can be an effective way to overcome worry and anxiety. Crafts give you a creative outlet that provides both mental and emotional benefits. Crafting such as knitting, painting or scrapbooking requires focused attention and repetition which can induce a meditative state and reduce stress.

If you’re not feeling artistic, you can still get creative through crafts. Make candles, paper flowers, or creatures out of pinecones. Of course, you can stick with traditional crafts too, but finding something unusual and new to you might be a good way to take your mind off your current cycle of worry.

Explore

If you enjoy discovering new places and things, use your curiosity to help you manage your worry. Try out a new restaurant, go on a spontaneous vacation, explore a nearby town, or even try a different genre of music. Being in a new environment can sometimes help you escape the cycle of worry that can be triggered by your daily surroundings.

Creative physical play

Instead of simply going for a run, engage some friends in a game of tag. Instead of going to your normal gym, visit a different gym in your area or go rock climbing instead. Instead of swimming laps, play a game of Marco Polo or invite friends to a water slide park.

According to the American Heart Association, a ninety-minute walk in nature lowers activity in the part of the brain that is linked to worry and negative thoughts. Nature does not demand attention or require you to engage. It is complex and ever-changing and begs to be explored. Nature is still and quiet and provides a place to investigate the intricacies of a wildflower or the rough texture of tree bark.

All these stimuli and new paths help your brain disconnect from the cycle of worry and give you a new perspective. Combine this adventure with drawing or writing a journal entry of everything you see, hear, and smell while spending time in nature. This will help you be present in the moment. Bring a camera, and capture nature from interesting angles and with various lighting.

Fashion therapy

Dress for a dopamine rush. Wear clothes that make you happy or spend the evening trying on different clothing combinations. Do a clothing swap with friends or spend some time thrifting for some interesting vintage clothes to add to your wardrobe.

Visit garage sales or find a video tutorial for some easy no-sew clothing options. It can also be therapeutic to repurpose old clothes. Add a fun new patterned pocket to your old jeans. Or create a design over the stain in your favorite t-shirt.

Therapy

If playing does not do enough to help you overcome your worry, consider consulting with a trained therapist. Your therapist can give you additional strategies that are tailored to your specific needs and that can help you stop worrying. Schedule an in-person or online therapy session to discuss your chronic worry and other mental health and emotional issues that might be preventing you from living your best life.

Next steps

Playtime is not just for kids! It’s for adults too, and can be an effective way to overcome or at least disrupt constant worry. Being playful can lead to increased creativity, a greater appreciation of beauty, and a stronger sense of humor and hope.

Additionally, creativity offers tangible results that serve as a positive distraction from negative thoughts and can help you channel your emotions and provide self-expression through your creations. If you would like more guidance in using play to reduce stress and as a tool for how to stop worrying, contact our office today and set up an appointment with a therapist at our location.