Why you should go out and play

We have all heard of the adage, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” In times like the one we are facing now, it is even more important that we heed to this saying. A share of ‘dull’ time when we have been simply stuck at home with nothing good to do is something that we can relate to as well. So what is it that makes play a necessary part of our routines? How do we really benefit from it?

Firstly, it is an easy outlet to socialise with our close ones. Play is a very primal activity for human beings. Right from childhood, we can see traces of the play activity. A baby’s actions can be construed as play acts in order to convey a message to its mother, like hunger or pain. The bonds that are forged on the school playground can often be stronger than the ones formed in routine classrooms. The social aspect of play is not limited to just children. Upon growing up, we see how the topic of sports can be as a conversation starter between people. People engage with one another on several topics and sports is a major one among them.

Then we have the health reasons, of course. In a world where the risk of a cardiac disease is almost a norm, the importance of physical fitness cannot be overstated. It is, hence, essential to have a good cardio workout regularly. As one grows older it becomes even tougher to keep the body in check with what we are consuming. Life-style diseases have been on the rise, including cancer. Physical exercise allows us to metabolise faster and eliminate the wastes more effectively.

Sports and games also allow enculturation of social values like self-discipline and ethical reasoning. It stems from what is often termed as ‘spirit of sportsmanship”. The result of a game matters less than how it was conducted by those who played it. It is important to learn values from those whom we look up to. The exemplary nature of our idols should never be abandoned. Tasting defeat without losing temper is an effective way to keep our emotions in check and aids in boosting one’s emotional quotient. The larger life lessons like to never cheat anyone are often best learned out on the playground than in classrooms.

Play activities can be stress-busters, especially for students burdened with exam pressures. It can help channelise the energy in the right manner and break the monotonous nature of simply studying all the time.

Finally, if one is particularly good at one sport or game, it can open an avenue towards a career option as well. But even if that last option does not work out, there are several other benefits of playing sports and games regularly as mentioned above.

Scribbled By: Abhishek Ramesh, student at IIT Gandhinagar