The Healing Physiology of PLAY
Why This Actually Heals Us
Play isn’t an escape from real life — it’s a return to biological safety.
When we play, laugh, connect, or engage in low-pressure joy, something very specific happens in the body: the nervous system shifts out of fight-or-flight and back into rest, digest, and heal.
That shift matters more than most people realize.
From Survival to Repair — The Core Switch
In a stressed or worried state, the body prepares for danger.
The liver releases glucose, as if we need to run from a threat
Insulin rises to manage that fuel
Breathing becomes shallow and fast, reducing oxygen delivery
Blood flow and energy are prioritized for muscles, not repair
This response is lifesaving when danger is real. But when it becomes chronic, the body stays in preparation mode instead of healing mode.
Play flips that switch.
What Relaxation Actually Does (Physiologically)
During play and genuine enjoyment:
Breathing slows and deepens (often with spontaneous sighs)
Stress hormones fall
Excess glucose production shuts down
Insulin demand decreases
Blood flow returns to the gut, immune system, and tissues
Endorphins rise, reducing pain and inflammation
This is the parasympathetic state — where digestion, immune repair, metabolic balance, and cellular maintenance happen best.
Much of our immune system lives in the gut. It works optimally when the body feels safe.
The “Staying Effect”: Why Play Lasts Beyond the Moment
One of the most underappreciated benefits of play is that the body remembers.
Just like the calm after a good workout — when breathing stays slower and deeper — play leaves a physiological imprint:
The nervous system becomes more flexible
The baseline stress level lowers
The body learns what safety feels like
Even memories of laughter, connection, and shared joy can trigger that relaxed state again later. This is why one meaningful, joyful experience can nourish us for weeks.
You don’t need to be relaxed all day. You just need to remind the body that relaxation is possible.
Play Is Not About Performance — It’s About Safety
Play works at any age and any ability level.
It doesn’t require:
Athleticism
High energy
Even much movement
Play can be:
Games and puzzles
Storytelling and humor
Music, rhythm, or hand-eye coordination
Conversation without urgency or judgment
What matters is engagement without threat.
Why This Matters Daily (Without Pressure)
You don’t need to “optimize” play or schedule it perfectly. The goal isn’t constant relaxation — it’s regular reassurance.
Each moment of play:
Reduces unnecessary metabolic stress
Improves oxygenation
Supports blood sugar balance
Preserves nervous system health
Play is a tool. A gentle one. And one of the most human forms of medicine we have.
In Short
Play isn’t childish. It’s biological wisdom.
It tells the body:
You’re safe now. You can heal.
And that message — once felt — stays.
Relaxing Video
A few years ago, understanding the power of the relaxation response, I created this playlist to help people get into this relaxed, healing, parasympathetic nervous system state. It’s called Nature Focus Healing. Come back to it whenever you need a calming nervous system reset. https://youtu.be/ftlvreFtA2A?si=f2DQcbtdxrKQBaZd
Conscious Breathing
Breath-work is also GOLD 👑🥇🙌 to help “reset” the body and drop into the same healing state. The great thing about it is you can do it, without any “tools”, any time of the day, by simply taking breaks in your day to focus on your breath.
Ex. Belly Breathing through the nose, 4 seconds inhale; 4 seconds exhale, for 3-10 minutes per session, a few times a day while waiting for something, or whenever we can fit it in.
PLAY On!
🤸♀️🤪😜