My husband and I like to play games. Board games in particular, but most any game will do. One day we walked around downtown Portland, on a hunt for objects that started with each letter of the alphabet. (The letter X made this a particularly long walk).

This ability to play serves us well, especially when life gets stressful. It reminds us that even in serious times there’s still some room for levity. I also believe that the ability to play helps us overcome adversity in ways that few other things can.

During childhood, most of us are experts at play. It’s hardwired in us to use our imagination as we figure out the world around us and come up with strategies for dealing with it. But somewhere during adolescence, we give up “childish” ways in favor of independence and maturity. Our strategies solidify, and our (apparent) need to experiment decreases. This is all well and good except for the fact that, once established as adults, we tend to forget all the other benefits that play affords us:

• A way to release tension, stress, and anxiety
• An avenue for social connection
• Access to the healthful perks of smiles and laughter
• Ways to look at our problems in a new light
• Opportunities for creative, innovative solutions.

Fortunately, lots of grown-ups still know how to play. Competitive sports, poker night, video games, even stock day-trading can all be forms of play. These activities certainly can help us relieve stress, improve our social life, and provide us with humor (all but the day-trading, I expect).

However, the kind of play I’m advocating taps into our childlike sense of creativity and wonder. It fuels our imagination and stretches our mind to see our world in a fresh way. It’s this kind of play that helps us approach problems differently and come up with creative solutions.

If you have kids, you’re probably a lot closer to this kind of play, especially when you get down on your hands and knees and become a dragon, or get fingerpaint under your nails.

But even if you don’t have kids (or your kids have reached that “I’m too old to play” age themselves), there’s immense benefit in reawakening the kid in you. Regardless of your current challenge, taking time to play can make a world of difference.

Here are some ideas for play you might not have considered lately, if ever:

• Organize a scavenger hunt with neighborhood kids (or adults!).
• Play Frisbee in a nearby field, or find a Frisbee golf course if you’re goal-oriented.
• Dust off your Rubik’s cube. Work it awhile then remember why it collected dust in the first place.
• Go to a thrift or vintage store and rescue one of the games or toys you played with as a child. Play with it again.
• Play badminton or croquet (badly) with friends.
• Browse online for a weird toy or gizmo. Some favorite sites include www.ehobbies.com, www.thinkertoys.com, and www.scientificsonline.com.
• Write a limerick or haiku about a current challenge you’re having.
• Even better, take a favorite song and personalize the lyrics. Sing it to yourself or to very trusted friends.
• Buy jacks. Play with them.
• If you’re a crossword puzzle addict, buy a word puzzle book and try something completely different.
• Get a paint-by-number set. Ignore all the color codes.
• If you built model trains/planes/cars as a kid, go get one. Re-experience paint and glue and racing stripe decals.
• Ask your kid to make up a game, then play it with them. Then it’s your turn to make one up.

Play is personal and highly subjective, but the value and rewards are universal. By tapping into the very best part of who we were as children, we can reclaim the very best part of who we are now.

So, how will you go out and play today?