I have always embraced the motto, “work hard, play hard.”
I appreciate my dedication to professional goals as a mental health therapist, but my career would certainly crumble to pieces if I did not have outlets for play. We often think about play as an important part of childhood, but did you know that playtime is an essential part of our mental wellness throughout the whole lifespan? Having appropriate outlets for play and recreation at every age is critical because it helps us manage stress, build relationships, improve our confidence, foster our creativity, and strengthen our social identity. I’m a firm believer in taking “mental breaks” from our day-to-day responsibilities so that we can practice better self-care and find greater joy through non-productive activities that are simply about having fun, connecting with others, feeling fulfilled, and expressing ourselves. Recreational activities alleviate the everyday stresses of life and have been shown to reduce mental health symptoms like anxiety and depression.
But for many people living with paralysis, it can be hard to access recreation without appropriate support and resources. I experienced this firsthand as an individual living with a neuromuscular disease. I was diagnosed with a form of Muscular Dystrophy when I was two years old, and I started using my first power wheelchair at age 5 (it was hot pink in color, and I couldn’t wait to speed through my neighborhood!). I wanted to get out there and play with the other kids, but I frequently experienced barriers that left me wondering where I fit in or if I even belonged with my peers on the playground.
Thankfully, my resourceful family connected me with professionals that taught me how to adapt to my environment so that I could experience recreation in accessible ways. I also attended a muscular dystrophy summer camp for many years that helped me develop skills for recreation. Living in a small town where I felt largely accepted by my community was also helpful, as well as having an outgoing personality (I learned how to educate my non-disabled friends on how they could include me despite my limitations). Because of the support structures I had in place, I was thankfully able to integrate socially into my school and community. I could barely move my muscles, but I was passionate about throwing myself into mainstream life. In fact, I often got in trouble growing up when I got my wheelchair STUCK in muddy backyards and soggy fields with my friends! I just wanted to go play with everybody else (and our playtime was always worth it).