Positive Playfulness for Mental Health

Spring Breaks are upon us, and it reminds me of watching my son and granddaughters compete in a double-elimination Mud Volleyball Tournament.

All participants showed up with bare feet, shorts, tee-shirts or swimming suits, and a smile.

The muddy water was twelve to eighteen inches deep and the day was perfect; sunny and warm with no wind. Two nets were strung across the muddy ‘court’.

You might ask what this has to do with mental health. Everything! Imagine life where you showed up, worked hard, didn’t worry about what you were wearing, and laughed for hours with friends and strangers. Imagine competition with only playful yelling, cursing, or put-downs, and scores kept by the teams with never a dispute.

Life cannot always be a game on a lazy vacation afternoon, but we can learn how to improve and enhance our mental health by mimicking the basic principles of Mud Volleyball: Don’t be so serious; laugh a lot and loud; pay attention; reach high even though you will likely fall on your face; encourage your teammates; be a good winner; throw mud while laughing if you lose; after falling, stand up; play hard and then sit awhile; shower with a garden hose.

A good mental outlook is really quite simple if we keep our minds focused on the positive. I could have looked at the event with a different attitude: Mud? Yuck; someone mentioned leaches; it will be cold; mud is so DIRTY; it could be full of bacteria; this is disgusting; only fools would play in the mud! We all have a choice in how we see a situation; we can pick the positive or the negative. What we choose, determines our quality of life. Is it easy to be positive? Not always, but it isn’t as difficult as one might think.

Can one be positive all the time? No, nothing is possible all the time. Can one find positive elements in tragic events? Yes, there are always elements, maybe tiny, but elements of fortune or gratitude can be found.

Are you sure positive thinking contributes to improved attitudes? Absolutely, it is the only thing that does. Look for the good – even Mud Volleyball can teach us valuable, positive lessons. Happy Spring Break – have some good CLEAN fun!

Until the next time: Live while you live