Realizing your full potential at play...

"We are never more fully alive, more completely ourselves, or more deeply engrossed in anything than when we are playing." 

Charles Schaefer           

We’re all aware of the negative impact of overwork on our lives. Overwork produces stress. Stress increases the production of stress hormones (cortisol and norepinephrine), upsetting the healthy functioning of our immune systems, and frequently disrupting our ability to sleep. When we are stressed, we tend to be unhealthy, cranky, sleep-deprived people.

However, there is a universal antidote for stress—it's called play. If you’re like many adults, play is a distant memory of a bygone era hardly worthy of your time and attention, given the unrelenting business of life. However, play—pure, unadulterated fun—is not only essential for us as children, but also throughout our lives. People who play enjoy enhanced creativity, problem-solving skills, self-awareness, and overall well-being. People who play tend to be more productive at work and more relaxed at home. Not only is play fun, but play can boost endorphin-production, our natural painkillers, and suppress those nasty stress hormones.

In a world of lauded productivity, constant connectivity and unlimited demands on our time, it is sometimes challenging to make time to truly connect with ourselves and each other in meaningful ways. But all people need time to rest, relax, and play.

If you would like to learn how to reduce your stress and enjoy your life more, we can help you explore different ways of playing in our coaching work. From WalkWays,™ our approach to coaching on the trails, to the Art of Play,™ using the creative process of Expressive Arts, we offer myriad ways for developing and restoring a healthy balance of work and play in your life.  After all, as Johnny (Jack Nicholson, The Shining) so aptly notes, "...all work and no play makes Jack a dull [and we might add, far from sane] boy."

"As master in the art of living you draw no distinction between your work and your play, your labor and your leisure, your mind and your body, your education and your recreation, your love and your religion.  You hardly know which is which.  You simply pursue your vision of excellence through whatever you are doing and leave it to others to determine if you’re working or playing to yourself, you’re always doing both."

James Michener        

WalkWays™: coaching on the trails and beaches of the Pacific Northwest

Art of Play™: coaching using a custom combination of expressive arts, such as art therapy, psychodrama, drama therapy, authentic movement, etc.

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