Eating disorders and exercise addiction can be debilitating. Jenn Hicks has been teaching Nia for about 16 years, but before that, she was diagnosed with anorexia and exercise addiction. She was severely depressed. Food and exercise were the most important things...
You might say it’s strange to see the words joy and dementia in the same sentence. Mary Fridley and Susan Massad believe that’s part of a problem that needs solving. We’ve been thinking about dementia in very unhelpful ways. It’s unhelpful for people with dementia,...
Religious Trauma Syndrome is a very real problem that isn't widely understood by mental health professionals. Spirituality and religion are linked to positive physical and mental health outcomes, according to reputable studies. But at times, unhealthy religious or...
You’ve already heard from today’s guest if you listened to last week’s episode on Playful Mind Project. This week we’re going to take a deeper dive with Jessica Brustad on the topic of play and mental health. Jessica’s story touched me deeply. When I first learned...
Meet the co-founders of the recently launched Playful Mind Project, play experts Jessica Brustad and Rona Lewis. The focus of their launch is on one of the hardest hit demographics during the Covid-19 pandemic – working moms. With the infection counts breaking...
I’ve been following Vince Gowmon since the very first days of PlayGrounding. His work, at the time, was focused on play for children, but he was different. In addition to the more scientific, psychological arguments for the importance of play, he was also...
Unprocessed grief and fear can lead us to not only hurt ourselves, but everyone around us. That's especially true right now as the whole world is experiencing the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic itself is deadly enough, but a close second is how we are all handling...
It's said that courage isn't the absence of fear. Courage requires fear. So if that's the case, we're entering a time in history with massive potential for courage - because everyone is afraid. The Courage to Embrace Adventure On this episode of the PlayGrounding...
Play is something most therapists recommend, but it's not very often you get to play IN therapy. That's what you get when you work with Jamie Lynn McCoppin. Jamie is a registered drama therapist, life skills coach, and Founder of Spark of Play. She has been using...
Negative thoughts can seem impossible to defeat. But there are ways to deal with them - practical ways. One of the most powerful has been from cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT. The first step is to really learn mindfulness, how to stay in the moment and observe...
Intuitive Eating didn't just change my diet. Everything feels different now. I wake up in the morning without dread. I have energy. I go for walks and exercise. I find it fun. Super weird. My jaw isn't clenched so my teeth don't hurt. I don't feel like I'm choking...
If self-care is so good for us, why is it so hard to do? Self-care is easy, right? Just sleep, eat good food, exercise, meditate and have hobbies. The conclusions are in and, surprise! All of those things are good for us - and they’re free. So what's the problem?...
I’ve decided to observe Lent again after a long time away from church. But I’m doing it in reverse. Lent was started a long, long time ago by Catholics to imitate Jesus’ forty-day fast in the wilderness. It’s often compared to Ramadan or Yom Kippur, but it’s pretty...
If we don’t cut ourselves some slack, we’re setting ourselves up to "snap” one day. It's time to convince yourself that it doesn't have to be that way.
When I’m burned out, the last word I want to hear is adventure. But thanks to Stacey Newman Weldon of Adventure Wednesdays, I learned that adventures don’t have to be over-complicated vacations. Adventures can start small, stimulate our creativity, keep our minds sharp and our hearts full.
In a mental health crisis, play is a vitally important part of our healing process. So why can it be so hard to give ourselves permission actually do it? Join Kara for an exploration of the things that get in the way of play and our pursuit of joy.
The midlife crisis. It’s a cliche. It’s about aging, fear of death, existential dread, regret. It’s a reliable way to make light of something we all feel just beneath the surface as we reach that “certain age” (which is different for everyone). I have a theory. I’m...
This is a deeply personal episode for me, Kara, the host of PlayGrounding. This is the second part of my conversation with Sabrina Must. Last week, we explored the role of playfulness in facing and handling grief. Sabrina and I kept talking on the day of our...
It might seem counterintuitive to have a conversation about play and grief. We often associate play with frivolity, silliness and escape. But what we learn from this conversation with Sabrina Must is that a playful approach to life can take us deeper and more in...
Do you remember what it was like to be a child at the playground? When you first arrive and see the equipment, the sand, the grass? I remember that feeling well – the desire to jump, crawl, run, do summer saults and cartwheels. But somewhere along the line, that...
Lack of play is a serious problem for us humans. Play geeks like me call it “play suppression.” In the worst cases, studies have shown that children who are kept from playing by their parents tend to have a hard time learning to relate to others and deal with their...
As the post-election storms continue to rock the world, a group of play enthusiasts are coming together to ask the question, can play help us heal from this divisiveness and turmoil? One Facebook post really caught my imagination. It was entitled, “Can Play Save...
Chef David Weidman, or “Chef Dave” as he’s known to his admirers, is known for his spectacular mini-cheesecakes and desserts. But his fame among the Burning Man community is due to his generosity, passion and creativity in the dusty kitchen. On this episode, you’ll...
Do you live in a cage? (Of course you don’t. Right?) That’s what we explore in this week’s episode of PlayGrounding. I’ll talk about ideas for how to identify whether you’re really as happy as you keep telling yourself you are, then help you identify your own...
This episode is posted a day late. Yes, I’m busted. The reason is that it was SO HARD to interview this particular person, let alone edit it. He’s a handful. He’s my husband. He’s the reason this podcast exists and the person who came up with its name. His name is...
When battling burnout or even something as serious as anxiety or depression, constantly seeking ways to fix yourself might not be the best strategy. Taking care of yourself by having fun can help retrain your brain, improve your mental health, make you more...
https://youtu.be/uMP8h7fPpoY Charlie Hoehn's TEDx talk on the Power of Play If you've ever found yourself in a deep hole of burn-out, stress and anxiety, Charlie Hoehn has something for you to try. In just one month, he went...
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