Embracing Variety: Thriving After 55
There’s a funny thing that happens when we finally reach that long-awaited season of life, somewhere after 55, when the pace slows, the kids are grown, and the days aren’t quite so jam-packed. We settle into the rhythm we once dreamed about: quiet mornings, familiar routines, a sense of calm. But over time, even the most comfortable routine can start to feel a little too… predictable.
What we don’t always realize is that while stability is comforting, it is variety that keeps us feeling alive. In fact, adding small doses of variety into our daily lives is one of the best ways to stay sharp, adaptable, and joyful as we age. A few intentional changes here and there can breathe new energy into your days—and make a big difference for your brain, your body, and your sense of well-being.
Why Variety Matters
We’re creatures of habit for good reason; routine makes life easier. But too much of it can quietly dull our mental edge. Research shows that trying new things actually helps the brain stay nimble by creating fresh neural connections, a process called neuroplasticity. It’s what keeps our thinking flexible and our minds resilient as we age.
And it doesn’t have to be anything big. Taking a new route on your walk, learning to play a song on the piano, or experimenting with a different recipe can be enough to wake up your brain and shift your perspective.
Physically, variety helps, too. Trying new forms of movement engages different muscle groups, improves balance, and helps prevent the kinds of injuries that can creep up with age. And here’s a bonus: new experiences trigger dopamine, a chemical in the brain that lifts your mood and gives you a little hit of motivation.
Without some variety, even the most well-loved routine can lose its spark. Days start to blend together, and it’s easy to feel a little flat. That’s when it’s time to shake things up, even just a little.
Simple Ways to Add Variety to Your Life
You don’t need a big lifestyle change to reap the benefits of variety. Think of it more like seasoning your favorite dish—just enough to enhance the flavor
Stability and Variety: The Perfect Pair
One of the beautiful things about this stage of life is that we don’t have to choose between comfort and excitement. We can have both. Your morning coffee ritual and your standing phone call with the grandkids can anchor you. A new hobby, a spontaneous outing, or a different way of doing the dishes can bring in the spark.
When we were younger, the routine was survival; it helped us manage all the moving parts. Now, with more space in our days, there’s room to rediscover curiosity, lightness, even play. Variety doesn’t have to mean constant change. It just means giving yourself permission to live a little differently, now and then.
So, try something new today, big or small. Your mind will thank you. Your body will thank you. And you might just feel a little more awake to the life that’s unfolding all around you.
The Power of Playfulness
One of the ways to increase the variety in your life is to reintroduce the power of playfulness into your life. Remember when a cardboard box was a rocket ship? Or a pile of sticks became a dragon’s nest? As kids, play wasn’t just fun, it was how we explored the world, flexed our imagination, and made sense of things. But somewhere along the line, we traded pillow forts and make-believe for golf, pickleball, and poker and bridge. Nothing is wrong with those, but let’s be honest—they’re not quite the same as pretending to be a spy on a secret mission through your backyard jungle.
What if bringing back a bit of that childhood magic could help us handle adult stuff—like stress, decision-making, and even thoughts about the future? Spoiler: it totally can.
Why Adult Games Aren’t Quite the Same
Adult games tend to come with rules, competition, and scorecards. Whether it’s sports, board games, or card nights, these activities are goal-directed, involving strategy, scores, structure. Sure, they’re fun but different kinds of fun. If playfulness does happen, it is in the light-hearted comments between strokes, sets and hands.
Playfulness is aimless and unstructured. The only goal is to play. Just as a kid can turn a living room into a jungle with nothing but imagination, adults can turn simple conversations into joyful play. That kind of open-ended creativity invites exploration, weird ideas, and joyful mess-ups. It is unselfconsciously spontaneous. And it isn’t about what you do but about the attitude you bring to what you do.
Playfulness, particularly in its unstructured and unself-conscious forms, offers a wealth of often-overlooked health benefits. It provides a vital antidote to the relentless demands of a goal-directed, useful, and purposeful state of mind that dominates much of adult life. When we engage in true play, we step outside the constant evaluation and pressure to achieve, allowing our minds to wander freely and our bodies to move without inhibition. This freedom from external judgment and internal scrutiny can significantly reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and improve mood by releasing endorphins. It fosters creativity, problem-solving skills, and adaptability, as playful exploration encourages us to experiment and innovate without fear of failure. Furthermore, play can enhance social connections and build empathy and understanding through shared laughter and cooperative interaction.
Isn’t That Just Being Silly?
Silliness is what others who are unable to be playful often call playfulness. It’s what you call it when you’re thinking about how your playfulness might look to others. Play is unselfconscious, unworried about what others think, non-judgmental. Playfulness is whole-hearted, it engages your whole being. It might look silly to some from the outside, but it’s often creative, meaningful, and surprisingly powerful. Because play is unselfconscious, you’re not watching yourself, so you do remain vulnerable to the judgment of others. That’s generally why we stopped playing in the first place.
Keep in mind a very important observation alleged to be from the philosopher Nietsche: “
When others see you dancing alone in a field, they may think you’re crazy but that’s only because they can’t hear the music.”
Why It’s Totally Worth It
Playfulness isn’t just a break from being an adult, it actually helps you adult better. It boosts creativity, eases stress, strengthens relationships, and makes life more joyful. Plus, it gets your brain buzzing with endorphins and fresh ideas. More importantly, it helps you face the unknown (like, say, the rest of your life) with a sense of wonder instead of worry. Playfulness has a way of pulling us into the present moment, opening us up, and making life richer.
So here’s the invitation: put down the scorecard. Step out of the spreadsheet. Reconnect with that version of you who once believed a towel was a superhero cape. You don’t need to be a kid to play. You just need to be willing to imagine, explore, and maybe get a little weird. Because play isn’t childish—it’s human. And it might just be the secret superpower you’ve been missing.
