Managing Anxiety: Why Play and Creativity Matter at Every Age

Creativity and play are essential expressions of the soul—and that they don’t fade with age. In fact, they can deepen.

So often, the conversation around aging is focused on decline: “senior moments,” physical limitations, and what we’re losing. But what if we reframed it? What if the later stages of life are not a retreat, but a chance to lean into imagination, play, and joy?

As Maya Angelou once said:

“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”

Angelou lived that truth. Over 25 books—memoirs, poetry, children’s stories—her creative output continued right into her eighties. She published her seventh autobiography at age 85 and was working on another before she passed. Her life reminds us: creativity doesn’t retire. It expands—if we let it.

But creativity doesn’t just “strike.” It needs to be nurtured and exercised, just like a muscle or a mindful yoga practice. That’s why we encourage students of all ages to look for ways to cultivate creativity and playfulness daily. It’s not just about self-expression; it’s about well-being.

Creativity Heals—Mind, Body, and Spirit

Modern research backs this up. A Forbes article highlighted studies showing how creative engagement can:

• Boost the immune system

• Reduce the risk of dementia

• Improve mood and mental clarity

• Deepen overall life satisfaction

Whether it’s through writing, cooking, yoga, gardening, sewing, or singing, creativity gives us purpose, presence, and joy. And perhaps most importantly, it connects us with something timeless.

At its core, creativity is imaginative play. We play music, play with words in poetry, and put on plays. Psychologist Carl Jung even said,

“The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity.”

Play Is Not Frivolous—It’s Fundamental

Play is more than just fun. As Diane Ackerman writes in Deep Play, it’s a refuge for the mind, a “sanctuary where one is exempt from life’s customs and decrees.” Play and creativity both allow us to step out of routine and into presence—where the hours slip away and time seems to stop.

For many older adults, life can slow down. Work ends, children are grown, and routines become repetitive. Without something meaningful to engage the spirit, we risk boredom, disconnection, and even depression.

But creativity is a powerful antidote. It rekindles curiosity. It turns ordinary moments into something vivid. It reminds us that our inner world is still alive and expansive.

Embracing Creative Living as a Yoga Practice

At Bend It Like Buddha Yoga, we view creativity and play as extensions of yogic living:

• Cultivate presence (dharana).

• Allow for authentic self-expression (svadhyaya).

• Awaken joy and spontaneity (ananda).

  
  

Just as we hold a pose or return to the breath, we can return to playfulness, to the flow of imagination, to the creative impulse that makes life feel fresh and vibrant.

There Is No Right Way to Be Creative

Your creativity doesn’t need to be polished or productive. It doesn’t need to be a masterpiece. It can be a moment of joy: planting herbs, scribbling in a journal, humming while you cook.

Fantasy, not fancy, is what matters. Let yourself escape into the world of possibility, even if just for a few minutes a day.

Final Thought: The Spirit Doesn’t Retire

Your creative, playful instinct doesn’t age. It’s still here—and it’s worth celebrating.

So as you move through life, whether you're 27 or 77, remember: the ability to imagine, create, and play is your birthright. It’s a spark that lives in all of us, and it’s never too late to let it shine.

Now if you’ll excuse me… I’m off to go play.