This is so because playing is its own reward; you enjoy the freedom and exuberance of the childhood, yet maintain the maturity of your age; you test the limits of your skills, but do not feel humiliated by the display of still better skills by your opponent.

But, wait a minute, is he an opponent? Oh no, he is also a player, just like you. You are all here to enjoy the game – winning and loosing is there just to give energy to the game – here it is truly a stress relief game!

But, have you not met that spoilsport, who starts cheating to win, because, he has to win in any case? It vitiates the entire mindset of the game, introduces tension in the friendly struggle; now, some players want to give him back his own medicine, and then, gradually, everybody is playing to win, at any cost! A friendly game transmutes into a fight!

Two ways of playing games

Johan Huizinga was a Greek author, who took 'playing games' seriously. He pointed out, in his famous study Homo Ludens (Man The Player), that ‘play’ is a state that is out of the ordinary life experiences. The play state has the following qualities –

• It is outside of the real life,
• It has some set rules,
• It has an element of illusion, or pretending,
• It is absorbing.

Though play is bound by certain rules, the player is free to take some chances and can also indulge in experimentation. In this play state the player is full of excitement and creativity; he demonstrates his skills and also refines and expands them.

This kind of play element does not only come during some physical activities, but also when you are absorbed in some activity that you really enjoy – like reading, playing soccer, playing golf, watching a good movie, or listening to your favorite music. This is the fountainhead of creativity, and is akin to the flow, which we came across while discussing the reality of stress relief game.

According to Huizinga, “Civilization arises and unfolds in and as play”. But, play can as well descent into its own antithesis: in fact, he says that Greek used two different words to describe two kinds of play: agon and paidia.

1. Win, win, win : The agon refers to a fiercely competitive game, which is played with dead seriousness, and is played with one objective in mind – to win!
2. Playful joy: On the other hand, paidia is played with childlike playfulness and winning is not the motive. This is playing like children do – just to play!

The paidia is your stress relief game, pure fun and joy of playfulness; while agon generates anxiety, anger, fear, competitiveness.

Which stress relief game do you prefer?

When selecting your stress relief game, take care that it matches with your inherent skills and the factor of winning does not bring about too much stress and anxiety into the game. Of course, there is your attitude too, but selecting the right game is also critical.

1. Select a game that you can play without the ‘winning at any cost’ mindset,
2. You feel confident while playing it,
3. When you finish playing the game, you have a sense of complete satisfaction, and,
4. Lastly, you are relaxed and full of joy, during and after playing the game.

Stress relief game can be either indoor or outdoor. Choose the one that matches your personality and mood of the moment.

Better still, do you have a hobby? If yes, that in my view, is the best stress relief game during periods of stress and tension. If you don’t have any hobby, develop one, it is never too late. Life, after all, is an ever going journey, keep on learning new things..

Further Reading

Relieving Stress By Exercise

How Does Stress Affect a Person....How It Affects You?

How Good Are You At Stress And Time Management?

Stress Relief Tips & Techniques: Top 10 Stress Relievers

6 Simple Steps to Relaxation Response

Aromatherapy for stress relief: How Natural Scents Change Your Moods

What is Workplace Stress?