7 Reasons Why playing Outdoor Games is Good for Mental Health
Mental health across the UK is currently at an all-time low. It is reported that 1 in 4 people experience a mental health problem every year in England, with 1 in 6 people experiencing anxiety and depression in any given week. This is not simply a phenomenon for adults either, as mental disorders also impact 1 in 7 people aged between 10 – 19 years old.
In light of the worryingly high mental health statistics across the UK, we have taken the time to step back a little and look at the larger picture. We’ve created this blog to highlight the relationship between playing outdoors and having more positive mental health. In doing so, we hope to better encourage people to venture out of the safety blanket of being indoors and start to venture outside for all that fresh air goodness.
Here are the Maint Reasons why outdoor games are good for mental health:
Gives children a break from busy schedules
It’s important nowadays more than ever to take time out to spend in the fresh air. Not only does it allow your mind a break, but it also gives you a chance to relax and reflect away from all the screens. You need time away from schedules, work deadlines, home maintenance, and all of your other demanding routines to just have fun playing and go wherever your mood takes you.
Sports involvement and physical activity lowers anxiety
A study in 2017 conducted by the Sport Industry Research Centre at Sheffield Hallam University – confirmed that general life satisfaction and levels of happiness are higher for people who are more physically active. This is especially important at a time when people were forced to stay inside during the COVID-19 pandemic, as they will have fallen into habits of seclusion that need to be broken.
Helps to top up on Vitamin D
Often during winter, people opt to stay inside more, as that’s where it’s warm. Unfortunately, you also limit your exposure to natural sunlight which has detrimental effects on a person’s health. Natural sunlight is the best source of Vitamin D, which releases serotonin, and helps to regulate emotion and mood in the brain.
Improve concentration and focus
With the increasingly shorter video-length content of social media apps and the inclusion of more advertisements in between television show segments, humans are gradually being trained to have shorter and shorter attention spans.
Research shows that simply looking at nature or surrounding yourself with it, it helps to refresh your senses, allowing you to restore your concentration so that you can focus for longer and support others.
Sleep better
Another effect of contemporary sensory overload is that it is keeping us awake at night, and less able to calm our minds when we need to rest. Physical exercise has been proven to counter this issue, and if done in the afternoon especially, it can help you to relax and improve the quality of your sleep, particularly REM sleep. Improving your level of sleep has improving effects on your mood and well-being, as well as your immune and hormonal systems.
Develop social skills
Outdoor activities such as paintball are less strict, providing kids and adults alike with an environment that feels freer and with less social pressure. This encourages people to be more social and to join in with group games that can help to make friends easier. The outdoor social activity builds self-confidence as well as the ability to understand social cues that you may not learn in other environments.
Encourages creativity
Despite the greater availability of digital tools that make being creative more readily available, there are still limits it holds on the imagination. Outdoor play such as paintball games offers the opportunity for both children and adults alike to immerse themselves in a fictionary battleground, allowing them unstructured play that is vital for self-esteem growth, the development of self-reliance, and self-discipline.
Why you should play outdoors with PPK:
If you’re after a reason to play outdoors, then look no further than the number 1 paintballing venue in the West Midlands. At PPK, we make it our mission to ensure that your experience is the best of the best, offering only top-of-the-range equipment, and luxury game zones that have been kitted out with everything from real tanks to mazes to wild west saloons.
There’s no need to break the bank – we have tonnes of packages to make our parks accessible for a whole host of occasions, whether it be corporate events, birthday parties or even if you’re rocking up solo.
If you’d like to know more about how we could best accommodate you, or are ready to start playing outdoors, head to our booking page now!