WHY WE PLAY

Discover how to reconnect with the child in you and unlock the transformative power of play to live a more joyful life.

Can you remember the utter delight of playing chase in the park, flying a kite in the summer breeze, or sinking your hands into a box of paints? As children, playing is how we make sense of the world and our place in it. Why then, as adults, do we forget how to play?

Drawing on over twenty years of neuroscientific research, psychotherapist Joanna Fortune has discovered that play is the key to living a happier and more meaningful life. She shares the social, emotional, and physical health benefits of why it's so good for us, including how to:

Practice micro moments of joy to boost positive mood
Embrace wonderment to help unlock creativity and problem solving
Find the fun in your everyday to alleviate stress
Use storytelling to heal from trauma and find emotional resilience
Nurture a holiday state of mind to rest your brain and recharge
Utilise simple techniques to repair and strengthen relationships

From the first blissful sip of freshly brewed coffee to an immune-boosting good laugh with close friends, this ground-breaking book shows how play is rooted in our daily experiences. With helpful insights, tips, and exercises, you'll discover the tiny changes that will revolutionise your life and why you're never too old for play.

Joanna Fortune is an accredited psychotherapist and author. She founded the Solamh Parent Child Relationship Clinic in Dublin in 2010 (www.solamh.com) where she works with families around a variety of issues, specialising in attachment therapy. She is a recognised supervisor, trainer and conference speaker in her field. In 2017 she delivered a TEDx Talk on the topic "Social media - the ultimate shame game?". Having previously written for the Sunday Times (Ireland Edition) she continues to write and contribute to articles on child development and parenting in various other print publications. She is also a regular media contributor to a variety of Irish radio and TV shows including regular appearances on Ireland AM and RTE's Today Show amongst others. She is the consultant on the weekly parenting slot on Newstalk FM's Sean Moncrieff Show. She has contributed to a number of books and publications and her first solo written book for parents called 15 minute parenting.