GUEST POST: Penciling in Playtime: Intentionally adding play to your life
I am so exited to share with you today's guest post by the wonderful Gina Greenwood. Gina is a salon owner, hairstylist, leader, mentor, master of badassery, and the wonderful mind behind the intentional living blog Intentionally Lola. I had the joy of interviewing Gina for a recent Couragemaker's episode which I think you'll love!
When you think about a growth mindset we think about words like high achieving, successful, driven, ambitious, open minded, strong willed, and intelligent. Although I absolutely agree that all those traits are part of a growth mindset one that is always missing is well rested.
Being well rested does not only mean getting an adequate amount of sleep…which of course is vital to a growth mindset but it also means having a balance of playtime too.
We as a society have labeled watching TV, movies, surfing the internet, couch time/lounging, and other “mindless activities” as laziness. I can understand how that came to be.
When we become overwhelmed by obstacles that stand between us and our goal we tend to “numb out” and sit on the couch with our phones in our hands mindlessly scrolling through social media or with the remote in our hands channel surfing never making a decision on what to watch…simply occupying our minds with no real intent.
We have to come to an understanding with ourselves that playtime is essential to happiness…happiness is essential to growth…growth is essential to fulfilment.
Playtime is a time of rest and enjoyment.
My playtime looks like staying in my PJ’s, not leaving my house at all, eating my favorite snacks while watching “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”. This truly brings me joy.
I came to this discovery when I made an intentional decision to identify my feelings when they were happening. I realized one day that I just LOVE that frickin’ show…why?…I have no idea nor do I care why I love it. I just know that I get giddy when I see there is a new episode.
Another thing that brings me compete joy is one on one time with my boyfriend, Heath. We LOVE going for bike rides on Sunday mornings. We are intentional about scheduling this time.
Notice that I said schedule. YES! This is a key point.
When you are a person with a growth mindset you are driven by goals. I schedule a play-day with a description of what that is…bike ride, bad reality television, searching through social media, whatever I feel like would bring me joy there is ZERO guilt at the end of the day because I attained my goal.
Notice that everything about it is intentional. I intentionally scheduled a day of play which needs to happen once every 2-3 weeks…a full day devoted to play.
I also define what that play is…TV, Biking, Scrolling the Internet…if you begin doing it with intention it is not numbing…it’s play. If you find yourself in the middle of a work day grabbing your phone and scrolling though Facebook….that is numbing..you are escaping the anxiety of work.
If you have a plan of scrolling through social media during your lunch break…that is play.
If you are at home preparing a meal for your family or cleaning the house and you sit down in front of the tv and have no real focus of what is on…that is numbing out…that is escaping the duties that are essential but not necessarily fulfilling at the time.
If you are preparing a meal for your family or cleaning the house and say from 3-4 I am going to sit on the couch and watch something that brings me joy…that is play.
Living an intentional life is the greatest gift you could ever give yourself and the world around you.
Because you will become the best possible version of yourself as a result of it you will be better for the people around you.
You will have the ability to serve those around you rather than just giving them the left overs of what you were able to muster up.
No matter how dedicated you are, how strong willed, intelligent, driven, motivated, or ambitious you are…you are still a human being. We need play…it is just as essential as a healthy diet, a full nights rest, education, and exercise.
What does your playtime look like?
Dancing in the kitchen, reading comic books or romantic novels, scrolling through Facebook or Instagram satiating your people watching from the comfort of your home, watching reality tv?
Next time you find yourself experiencing joy…check in with your feelings. What is making you feel so joyful…now recreate that in your scheduled playtime! Remember…if it’s on your schedule…it's a goal and still part of your growth!!!..Now go schedule your playtime intent!!!
Please share your stories of play with me. I would love to see what your playtime looks like!
Gina Greenwood is a salon owner, hairstylist, leader, mentor, and master of badassery. She has made it her mission to change the world one head at a time. Not only is she doing that by giving people the added confidence that comes from looking and feeling their very best but also by encouraging anyone and everyone to live an intentional life. You can check out more of Gina’s thoughts over on Intentionally Lola: a blog all about intentional living.
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Pssst! Did you know Gina appeared on a recent episode of The Couragemakers Podcast? She shares all about her fuck it mentality and the story behind choosing to live an intentional life.