The Power of Senior Play

"Many of us wander into our senior years with trepidation and concern about aging. We are bombarded by the media with information about what and when to eat, how to exercise carefully, when to rise and go to sleep, and most of all, about ways to keep our brains sharp. It all sounds so serious! And we may worry about how to get it right, in order to live as long as possible."

"When we were children, play was carefree and we entered into it with excitement and energy. That was how we learned to engage with others. Then we later arrived at the serious stages in life where doing, achieving, and mastering were the name of the game. We spent decades competing, worrying, and trying to do our best for family, workplace, society, and the world-which required all of our drive and attention. The dynamic of striving was over-learned, because it was rewarded-and even if it wasn't!"

Many people enter senior years with trepidation about aging and feel overwhelmed by media advice on diet, exercise, sleep, and brain health. Childhood play was carefree and fostered engagement, but adult life emphasized striving, achievement, and mastery for decades. That striving becomes an ingrained mindset that is hard to shed even after work and family demands lessen. Curiosity and pleasure were often deprioritized during middle years due to pressures to get ahead. In later life, financial stability can reduce workplace attachment and create opportunities to explore novel, complex activities that involve problem solving and rekindle curiosity and play.

Read at Psychology Today