Personal Development

When you hear someone talking about play therapy, you probably think of kids using toys and games to work through their feelings, right? But do you know that play therapy is just as helpful for adults? Life gets tough sometimes with work stress, relationship struggles, family drama, old traumas, or even just feeling stuck in one place, and to be honest, regular therapy doesn’t always feel quite right for everybody. Play therapy is a different approach, one that uses expression and hands-on creative activities to help you work through emotions. It’s not just playing for fun, but you do it to find healing, understanding, and new ways to handle life’s challenges on your own terms. It’s like a second chance for you to reconnect with yourself, deal with emotions you’ve been holding on to, and break free from the weight of life’s pressures. This kind of therapy is focused on showing you that growth doesn’t always have to feel like hard work; it can also be freeing and meaningful. How is play therapy different for adults? While play therapy is well-known for being used with children, it also works effectively for adults. As you get older, it might be a bit harder to express your feelings. Play therapy offers a different way to do just that. It’s a chance to explore your emotions and struggles without the pressure of talking about them directly. Think of it as a hands-on way to get to the heart of what’s going on inside, especially when talking feels difficult. For both kids and adults, the idea behind play therapy is the same: using play to express emotions. But the way it’s used is different. Kids, most of the time, rely on toys, games, or drawing because they don’t always have the words to explain [...]

There’s a kind of rush and sense of euphoria that comes from getting your body moving. You could be dancing, running, roller-skating, doing parkour, cycling, lifting weights, or playing a game of pickleball, but when you get moving, it feels good. We are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14, ESV), and our bodies, minds, and emotions work together in connected and often complicated ways, meaning that mental health is important. Mental health and you When you’re not doing alright in one area of your life, that can have an impact on other areas. If your mental health suffers, for instance, that affects your ability to work, play, and have meaningful interactions with others. According to the World Health Organization, mental wellness is about being able to cope with the stresses of life, realize your abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute meaningfully to your community. Good mental health allows you to build relationships with others, and make decisions that affect your environment. Many issues can affect a person, and these include factors that aren’t in their control, like genetics, experiences of trauma, or the environment that one is in. There are different ways a person’s mental health can be affected, and the effects can range from mild to severe. There’s a lot of public education that’s still needed regarding mental health, and a good deal of that can be directed at building awareness that mental health issues are common, and there’s no shame in seeking help. Depending on the issue, sometimes taking simple self-help measures will set things right, but in other cases, the intervention of a mental health professional and treatment that includes medication may be required. Some signs of poor mental health When a person is affected negatively by one thing or another, it affects them [...]