Here’s the sixth part of our article by BN member Sheila Maycock on Naturism and Mental Health.
Read the previous articles on this website - Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four and Part Five
The Value of Play
Having fun is good for our Mental Health, in fact it’s so good for us it could almost be classified as a health intervention in its own right. Fun isn’t an activity, but an attitude and an emotion. Fun isn’t a waste of time. Many of our most treasured memories are of when we were having fun.
We know loneliness and stress causes hormonal changes in our body that make us more susceptible to illness and disease. Trauma interferes with being able to play. It impacts our well-being socially, emotionally, and in the development of our brain. Having fun, feeling relaxed and socially connected builds our immune system as well as our self-belief. It increases the brain's production of endorphins, those feel-good chemicals that relieve pain, reduce stress and enhance nervous system regulation, supporting physical and mental health. Laughter positively impacts your stress response, heart rate and blood pressure.
...And the Naturists I’ve met certainly know how to have fun! Maybe it’s easier to allow yourself to relax and enjoy the moment in the accepting and non-judgmental atmosphere created when Naturists get together?
Play is a child’s “work” - the way they learn about the world: exploration, imagination and figuring out our relationship to the world around us. The make-believe world that develops through imaginative play enables a child to enter another world psychologically and work out their responses in a safe place. Experiencing play in a safe environment creates fresh neural pathways. It is energising, relaxing, refreshing, a change of routine.
When play is alongside other people we can lose ourselves in the moment. Time flies. That’s an important aspect of play being fun. Whilst you can have fun on your own, a sense of connectedness with others and of that shared enjoyable experience, as well as observing others smiling and laughing, all enhances our own fun.
Don’t get me wrong, work can also be beneficial to our mental health. Achievements, targets and productivity are all of benefit to our psychological wellbeing if recognised and celebrated and if we can overcome our infamous British reserve and avoid missing opportunities to build our self-esteem. The downside of a strong work ethic is that it may drive an agenda of having to prove oneself, of not being good enough or of any value unless those successes are attained. Often work cannot be playful. Accuracy, accountability and getting things right is important. I want the person who is servicing the brakes on my car or building an extension on my house to be skilled and professional, not have a playful moment with my vehicle or brickwork!
There is a huge place for play in our lives and for many people it is a missing piece of the psychological puzzle. Fun is not just for kids. Naturism offers us opportunities for fun, intrinsically challenging our social and cultural norms. Living a Naturist lifestyle can be playful in itself by engaging our rebellious side, breaking the boring rules of conforming to what is viewed as a responsible adult. British Naturism has led the way in clarifying that nudity is not against the law in the UK, supporting the concept of safe unclothed play within the non-sexual atmosphere of social nudity.
How joyous it was to play at Nudefest! Throwing paint at total strangers and becoming covered in multicoloured splats of joy; making enormous bubbles with a couple of sticks, a piece of cleverly knotted string and the magic bubble mix; seeing others laughing; jamming in the Magic teapot … play can utilise hard earned skills such as those developed by musicians and be fun too. What delight we all felt as we giggled and messed about - like children. My neural pathways were buzzing!!
So, I encourage you to grasp every chance to have fun, especially naked. Make the most of what BN offers to enjoy playful moments with others. Do more of what makes you smile and laugh. Take large and small opportunities to play: Alton Towers; NKD; naked cruises; skinny dipping; kick through the autumn leaves. Restoring our capacity to play is an essential element of learning how to recover from trauma and enhance our wellbeing.
Sheila Maycock
MBACP
Accredited Therapist (and BN Member)