Make your May full of Play

Technology is truly amazing. It connects us to people, resources, services and information. Technology also advances immediacy and has the tendency to add extra stress to our lives. As May is Mental Health Awareness Month, challenge yourself to take moments away from your phones, computers, devices and PLAY! Get outdoors, move your body, be creative and take a break from the doom scrolling that becomes part of your day.

Encourage your children to get outside and play. It’s good for them! Leave the devices behind. When left to their own devices in unstructured play, children can strengthen their creativity, build confidence, self-regulate, conquer fears and problem solve. Play matters!

Check out these play-based activities that promote kids’ emotional development in the Genius of Play’s Emotional Wellness Playbook: https://www.thegeniusofplay.org/

This May and everyday…try to remember to be kind to yourself, give yourself grace, stop scrolling, stop comparing and enjoy the little things! Mental health matters!

(My illustration titled "When Left to the Their Own Devices" is part of The [unveiled] Art Exhibition and is on display from May 3 – June 21, Monday – Friday, 8AM – 5PM, at the Mentor Municipal Center, 8500 Civic Center Blvd., Mentor, OH)