Alright friends, as some of you know I decided to take a sabbatical leave due to a construction project happening with the building I work in. It has been a little over two weeks and I feel compelled to write about this topic today because I know it’s something that many of us could use more of: PLAY.

We all know the importance of play for children. Now, do you remember a time in your own childhood when you were utterly happy in an activity and lost in the moment as though it felt like time didn’t exist? Now take it to the present day. When was the last time you experienced this? Has it been awhile? If so, it’s okay because adulting is hard and life gets crazy busy. I believe that taking this much needed time off for myself brought up an awareness that all of us could really benefit from blowing off some steam by making it a priority to play more. Among its benefits, play can actually boost your creativity, help you not take life so seriously and can help you cope better with stress.

Any recreational activity that brings you joy and excitement counts as playing and just know that making time for it can have substantial benefits for your mental and physical well-being! In fact, studies have shown that spending more time doing things that bring you happiness and pleasure can have a lasting relaxing effect that helps you manage stress better, keeps you physically active and brings more life satisfaction. For the record, having some good old fashion fun is not a waste of time. If truth be told, it’s right up there with everything else we could be doing to maintain good health like eating well, moving our bodies, getting plenty of restful sleep and being part of community.

I understand that adulting can be extremely demanding and tough when we’re constantly going from one thing to the next but even setting aside 30 minutes per day for yourself is enough time to reap the benefits! It may not seem like a lot but so much FUN can happen within that period. Especially, if you are able to make it a consistent daily practice, I promise you that life will start to feel so much sweeter.

So, next time you’re feeling overwhelmed by your list of tasks or have the inclination to drop it all and flee the country, I encourage you to be selfish and let your inner child play!

In health and happiness,

Katrina

Hello and welcome to my blog :). My name is Katrina and I am a holistic practitioner located in Midcoast Maine, who is passionate about all things related to alternative wellness and finding ways to connect mind, body and spirit. I am a Nutritional Therapist Practitioner, Energy Worker, Certified Yoga Teacher and Licensed Massage Therapist. My love for becoming a bodyworker stems from my own healing journey of connecting to self and to others and it always amazes me how profound the work can be for those who are seeking natural relief.

Oftentimes, people think that massage is just an annual, special treat of being pampered but there is so much more to it. Nurturing touch in itself is extremely healing because it lowers blood pressure as well as cortisol levels which is the primary stress hormone. Cortisol helps your body respond to threats such as in a fight or flight situation to find balance again but can be triggered excessively which can lead to more health concerns like chronic stress and fatigue, digestive issues, mental health disorders, hormonal imbalances and more. I won’t go into further detail about it because that’s for another day but yeah, receiving consistent massages is great for stress management and aiding in the production of that feel good love hormone, oxytocin.

Speaking of oxytocin, massage can also increase other positive hormones like endorphins, serotonin and dopamine all of which can enhance your sense of well-being and even decrease the sense of pain in the body. Booking a Classical or Deep Tissue Massage in particular are great modalities for those that are seeking muscle and joint relief!

Another health benefit of receiving massages is improved sleep. For me personally, I honestly find this to be extremely helpful. As a small business owner wearing all of the hats, it’s very easy to become wrapped up in the day to day business operations that sometimes I forget how important it is to slow down, relax and nourish the mind and body which then greatly affects the quality of my sleep. Everything is connected and lets just say, I finally received some much needed bodywork, slept like a baby and wanted to emphasize how AMAZING you will feel days or even weeks after. I laugh to myself because I’m currently writing this entry with post-massage feels and am no longer sweating the small stuff yah know?

There are so many other reasons why massage therapy can be a beautiful addition to your heath care routine but I’ll close with a gentle reminder that the need for human touch is one of our most basic, primal needs and I think it’s safe to say that we could all use a little more lovin’. Would you agree?

Book your session today at Wild Fern Holistic Health!

In health and happiness,

Katrina