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Close-up of hands playing a piano, with a focus on a ringed finger pressing the keys.

Pleasures and pastimes

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Feel free to stop striving: learn to relish being an amateur

When I rekindled my relationship with the piano and tapped into my inner amateur, I discovered a quiet room of my own

by Xenia Hanusiak

A woman in an orange sweater is practising her golf swing in a narrow, cobblestone alleyway lined with bicycles, adjacent to a building with large windows.

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The achievement society is burning us out, we need more play

This is about more than a self-help switch – it will take structural changes to reject capitalism’s productivity obsession

by Alec Stubbs

Hands clapping flour over a ball of dough on a floured surface with a wooden rolling pin nearby, in a dark background setting.

Food and drink

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If you don’t fancy mindfulness, then try cooking instead

When overwhelmed I schedule in a cooking day: playful, daring and full of memories. Beats any other stress-reliever for me

by Chloe Faure

Black and white photo of a man seated with a watering can and top hat, alongside a standing woman in a dress, in a vintage setting.

Play

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What TikTok videos have in common with Victorian parlour games

TikTok and Insta videos are the Victorian parlour games of today, allowing us to share in the emotional benefits of play

by Kim Beil & Ryan Tacata

A surfer rides a large blue wave, with white spray and foam around them under a dark, dramatic sky.

Meaning and the good life

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What surfing says about the importance of serendipity in life

What surfers call the elated state of ‘stoke’ is really a celebration of life and the meaningful serendipities it brings

by Aaron James

Black and white photo of an older man in a suit standing near a railing, illuminated from above, looking slightly upward.

Identity

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Stanislavski’s revelation: we’re more than the parts we play

Stanislavski taught that performance – on stage as in life – is created by analysing a character’s feelings and objectives

by William Justice Bruehl

A person in a yellow jacket skipping stones at the beach during sunset, with calm water and rock formations in the distance.

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All you need to know to start skipping stones like a pro

With the right attitude, stone skipping is a rebellious act that will leave you feeling like you have glitter in your veins

by Julie Benda

A person’s hand arranging small pebbles next to a miniature landscape featuring a tall rock, an obelisk, and scattered colourful yarn balls.

Psychotherapy

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Sand-tray therapy can reach feelings at the ‘edge of awareness’

Originally developed for use in child therapy, sand trays are now helping adults with their difficult thoughts and emotions

by Doreen Fleet

People using virtual reality headsets and controllers in an immersive gaming setup, with others in the background also engaged with VR devices.

Play

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A game is not a game without a special kind of conflict

From 5,000-year-old boardgames to last year’s video-game blockbusters, all games feature a kind of collaborative conflict

by Eric Zimmerman