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You were made to create from your Zone of Genius.
💛 Grab the free guide and start crafting work that energizes (not drains) you.
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Episode 154: When Play Feels Scary — What Guilt, Grief, and the Fear of Being Lazy Are Really Trying to Tell You

If you’ve ever felt pulled toward creativity or play — and immediately felt guilt, fear, or the worry you’re being “lazy” — this episode is for you.

Following joy should feel simple… but most of us quickly discover it’s incredibly vulnerable.
Because reconnecting with play doesn’t just open the door to joy — it also awakens grief, old protective parts, and long-buried fears about productivity, worth, and being “too much.”

In this solo episode, I’m sharing what I’ve been exploring inside the Inspired Innovators online community, in recent talks with psychology interns, and in my own journey with creativity and dance. This one is tender, honest, and very real.

Why Play Feels Scary (Even When We Want It)

Play looks lighthearted on the outside…
but internally, it stirs everything.

When we try on a new color, order something different for dinner, sign up for a dance class, or say yes to a creative urge, we bump into old beliefs:

• “People will judge me.”
• “This is silly.”
• “We don’t have time for this.”
• “You’re being unproductive.”
• “Remember when you slacked off as a kid and it cost you?”

These messages come from protector parts — loyal, hardworking, and terrified of vulnerability.

Play isn’t just fun.
It’s revealing.

Where Grief Shows Up

No one talks about the grief that surfaces when we start playing again.

The sadness of:

• realizing how long it’s been
• noticing what we lost touch with
• seeing our younger parts resurface
• feeling regret for the years we muted this part of ourselves
• remembering the joy we denied or postponed

Grief doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong.
It means the joy is real.

As Brené Brown teaches, we can’t selectively numb.
When joy returns, grief is often sitting right beside it.

For me, returning to dance brought both: pure aliveness and deep tenderness for the years I didn’t let myself have it.

The Fear of Being “Lazy”

This came up inside our community and in conversations with clients:

“What if I start following my joy and I can’t stop?”
“What if I lose all structure?”
“What if play makes me irresponsible?”

These fears make total sense.

When you’ve been starved of play, rest, or joy, it’s normal for the playful parts to want freedom. They’re not trying to derail your life — they’re trying to catch up.

You’re not lazy.
You’re under-nourished.

And the only way to build trust with your playful parts is by actually letting them out — in small, safe doses.

Creativity Isn’t Optional — It’s Survival

Creative practice is how we:

• build resilience
• enhance problem-solving
• reconnect with embodiment
• tolerate frustration
• navigate change
• stay mentally alive

Especially in a world where AI is shifting the landscape of therapy and helping professions, our uniquely human capacities — empathy, intuition, creativity, storytelling — matter more than ever.

Lessons from Watching My Kids Play

Watching my kids play recently reminded me:

Play is not just fun — it’s how we learn.

Kids problem-solve, negotiate, switch roles, and move through discomfort because the play matters enough to keep going.

As adults, we need that space too:

• non-performative
• messy
• intuitive
• embodied
• alive

It strengthens courage, presence, clarity, and connection — all things our field desperately needs.

What to Ask Yourself When Play Feels Scary

Try these as gentle starting points:

✨ How did I love to play as a kid?
✨ What tiny “joy breadcrumb” is calling to me right now?
✨ Which protector shows up when I consider doing it?
✨ What grief does this joy uncover?
✨ Who are the people who can hold this with me?

Because play requires safety — and community is where that safety grows.

Main Takeaways from This Episode

🎭 Play feels vulnerable because it reconnects us with long-silenced parts.
🌧️ Grief naturally arises when joy returns — it’s part of the healing.
🧠 Fear of being “lazy” is a protector trying to keep you safe, not a truth.
🌿 Creativity strengthens your resilience, intuition, and capacity to adapt.
🧩 You don’t have to choose between productivity and joy — both matter.
🔥 Play helps you tolerate the hard things, just like it does for kids.
💛 You’re not behind. You’re awakening.

Final Reflection

If play feels scary, that’s not a sign to stop.

It’s a sign something alive inside you is waking up.

This is the work:
Following tiny breadcrumbs, saying yes to what lights you up, holding the parts who feel afraid, and letting yourself feel joy and grief without making either wrong.

That’s how we return to ourselves.
And that’s the journey we’re on together.

Want to explore this more deeply?

The Inspired Innovators Community is a small, intimate group of therapists and helpers co-creating joyful, courageous, aligned lives — together.

We gather on Voxer, meet on Zoom, and will come together in person at the next Innovative Therapist Retreat along Lake Michigan in October 2026.

If you want to join us or get more info:

📩 Email me: [email protected]
(or just reply to any email — it goes straight to me)

Disclaimer

This blog and podcast are for informational and educational purposes only. They do not constitute medical or mental health advice and are not a substitute for professional consultation or treatment.

✨ Want to explore your own breadcrumbs?
Download my free guide: Uncover Your Zone of Genius
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