🛑 Stop Working, Start Living: How to Knock Down the Three Hidden Barriers to Adult Play

It’s Time to Reclaim Your Playfulness!

Welcome back to the Playful Art & Heart Podcast!

In this episode, we tackle a subject that is vital to our mental health and creativity, yet one that most adults find almost impossible to do: simply play.

If you've ever felt that pit of guilt or anxiety for spending 10 minutes doing something purely for fun, or if you feel like you've been on an exhausting "achievement train" your whole life, this episode is for you.

Hit play below to listen to the full conversation, including my own confession about the overachieving trap and the simple steps you can take to bring authentic joy back into your life:

Episode Summary: The Play Paradox and The Three Barriers

We know play is essential for joy, creativity, and understanding the world (just look at how children learn through imaginative play!). Yet, somewhere between childhood and adulthood, we lose the permission to be our most authentic, playful selves.

In this episode, we dive deep into the Play Paradox: We know it's vital, but we feel guilty doing it. The reason? We've internalized powerful barriers that stop us before we even pick up a coloring pencil.

Here are the three major hidden barriers we identify and break down:

Barrier 1: The Productive Trap

This is the task manager voice in your head that ties your worth to your output. We internalize that every hour must be productive—work, sleep, chores—but unstructured play has "zero output."

• The Cost: This trap leads to Time Scarcity Guilt (feeling anxious about 30 minutes of fun) and Lack of Energy (burning out and defaulting to passive consumption like TV because play feels like too much effort).

Barrier 2: The Monetization Mindset

We live in a culture of consumption and optimization, where a hobby can't just be a hobby—it has to be a side hustle. As soon as you add the pressure to perform, produce, and profit, the joy is stripped away.

• The Cost: This mindset convinces us we need expensive gear (the "right" paints or mixer) or that we need external validation. It steals the innate joy and replaces it with the self-doubt of, "Is this good enough to sell?"

Barrier 3: The Internal Critic

This barrier is built on shame and perfectionism. As kids, we sang off-key and didn't care if our block tower was "ugly." As adults, we fear judgment—especially our own.

• The Cost: The inner critic whispers, "You're wasting your time. You're bad at this. This is so childish." This makes us obsessed with the outcome, and if we can't be good at it immediately, we don't even try. Remember: Play, by definition, is about the process, not the product.

Simple Solutions: How to Fight Back and Be More Free

Ready to defy the guilt? Here are three simple, actionable tips from the episode to help you fight back against these ingrained barriers:

1. Set a 10-Minute Play Appointment

• Action: Schedule 10 minutes of unstructured play into your day or every other day. Treat it like a meeting with your inner child that you do not miss.

• Ideas: Put your phone away. Doodle, build with Legos, dance and sing to music, or make up silly poems. Just move and create for the sheer fun of it.

2. Define Play as Low Stakes

• Action: Before you start a playful activity, state this affirmation out loud: "This is just for the sake of itself. The outcome does not matter."

• Permission: Give yourself permission to make a bad drawing, to lose the game, or to simply not be good at it. All that matters is that you experience joy in the process.

3. Stop Overthinking

• Action: When you feel bored or restless, bypass your analytical adult brain. Ask yourself one simple question: "What would my eight-year-old self do right now?"

• Channel: Tap straight into that instinctive, playful energy you still have inside you.

Your Play Affirmation & Journal Prompt

If the guilt starts creeping in, fight it with this powerful affirmation. Write it down and stick it somewhere you'll see it daily!

"My worth is not measured by my productivity. Play is not a waste of time. It is a vital investment in my joy, creativity, and inner life."

Journaling Prompt

• Think about the last time you felt guilty for doing something purely for fun. What was the activity?

• Which of the three barriers—the productive trap, the monetization mindset, or the internal critic—was the loudest voice in your head?

• Now, write down one small, ridiculous action you can take this week to defy that voice. (Example: Reading a book for 10 minutes in the middle of cooking dinner to defy the "proper time" myth.)

Thank you for joining me today. I hope this episode gives you the permission you need to be a little bit silly and a lot more free to play.