Do you remember the time when hanging out with your friends was labeled a “playdate”? How cute was that? When we were younger and hung out with friends it was guaranteed that we were going to play. My friends’ favorite was playing “parents,” a funny game where we tried to simulate adult life by some people acting as babies and we had to parent them. Our adolescent mimicking of adult-life seems more intriguing than the one I experience now.
Last year, I was really struggling with how to handle adulthood. College was overwhelming, I was insecure in my friendships, and I felt unprepared to be accountable and responsible for many things in my life. I was yearning for the previous years of childhood wonder, and I was trying to find that spark again. Funny enough, I found it in a coloring book.
I was at my grandmother’s house in the middle of the semester. I was antsy, since I knew I had a lot of work waiting for me as my procrastination from school was following me into my family’s reunion. I was with my younger cousins, playing with random little plastic figures that kind of resembled animals and people, but were worn from the years that I had once played with them. Through our playtime, I saw how my younger cousins were able to express themselves through their little hands moving the little figures in time with their little speeches.
As we were leaving, I realized a coloring book sat alone on the table. My cousins didn’t like coloring, but I wanted to take something away from this day. So, I fetched the coloring book and shoved in my backpack among the adult-things of my school computer and notebooks.
That night, I was trying to focus on overdue work. It’s tempting to just forget the assignment ever happened when the due date has passed. I tried the Pomodoro method, where you work for a set amount of time and then take a smaller break for a another set amount of time. Fifteen minutes of work were spent staring at a blank screen and trying desperately to not look at my phone. When the timer ended, I felt disappointed and burnt out even though I hadn’t made any progress.
I had a ten minute break. I didn’t want to keep looking at a screen as my head was spinning. I knew I couldn’t pick up my book because the words would go through my eyes and disappear in the mess of my head. Then, I remembered the coloring book in my backpack. I went under my bed to find some decrepit crayons from middle school. I felt refreshed as I listened to music while filling in a blank Hello Kitty coloring page.
It sounds silly, but genuinely breaking up my work with coloring has boosted my productivity. My brain needs a creative outlet, and sometimes coloring is just enough to give it a restart!
After my coloring breakthrough, I’ve invested in many toys to play with. I’ve bought balls including a fun mini football that I throw with my friends (turns out I’m really good at spirals, not to brag or anything). I own a couple of mini metal cars that I drive around my desk for some fun stimulation. I even have way too much slime; my middle school self is envious at my collection.
My toys are a great mental break from the stress that work and screens give me! Sometimes I still like to wind down with some TikToks, but I often feel more relaxed if I spend my time coloring or doing something that stimulates my creativity.
Once you get over the idea that playing with toys is immature, you unlock so much for your brain. We are born to create, not sit around and be fed information through our screens all the time. Finding something fun to play with gives you ease and tells you everything is gonna be okay. I promise, your inner child is gonna love it!!
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