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this week with rooh
this week's forecast - 30% chance of silliness.
Some vibes for fun 🎧: Upside Down
It’s been pointed out—more than once—that I can come off as oddly serious. I’m the type of person who believes every conversation should have a purpose, every word should carry intention, and every action should lead somewhere meaningful. Efficiency over small talk. Depth over banter. It’s how I’ve been wired—maybe shaped by a highly logical family, maybe by the environments I’ve spent most of my life navigating.
But lately, I’ve been wondering: what if there’s another way?
Brené Brown defines play as time spent without purpose. That makes me uncomfortable—because if I’m being honest, I’ve always believed everything should have a purpose. I’ve lived most of my life like a drill sergeant with a calendar. But in moments of anxiety, or just feeling stuck, I’m starting to realize that what’s missing isn’t more structure — it’s play.
The older I get, the more I crave lightness. To laugh more. To be a little weird. To rediscover fun—not as a luxury, but as a necessity. Even in serious moments, a spark of play can dissolve tension and restore connection.
So this week, we’re diving into the power of play — especially as adults. Because maybe the most grown-up thing we can do... is remember how to have fun.
“In a world continuously presenting unique challenges and ambiguity, play prepares these bears for an evolving planet.”
- Dr. Stuart Brown
Before he became the founder of the National Institute for Play, Dr. Stuart Brown studied something entirely different — violence. What he discovered was surprising: people who had lost their capacity to play often showed signs of deeper emotional disconnection and struggled to navigate life’s challenges. That realization led him to devote his career to understanding the role of play in our development, relationships, and overall well-being.
Dr. Brown believes play is as essential to humans as sleep or food. In his book Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul, he explores how play is tied to empathy, adaptability, creativity, and emotional resilience.
So what is play, actually?
According to Dr. Brown, play is something we do for its own sake — it’s fun, voluntary, and makes us lose track of time. It’s how we practice being human.
The problem is, somewhere between childhood and adult responsibility, we start to believe we have to earn our fun — or worse, that we’ve outgrown it altogether.
Dr. Brown challenges us to look back at what we loved doing as kids — not what made us look good, but what made us feel alive. That’s your play fingerprint. And it’s still with you.
Try remembering your play fingerprint -
Take out a piece of paper (or open a fresh note on your phone) and answer this one question: What did I do as a kid that made me completely lose track of time? Was it building things? Climbing trees? Drawing? Dancing around your room? Making up funny stories?
Now pick one. And this week, carve out 2 minutes to reintroduce it. Not to be good at it. Not to share it on the socials. Just to remember how it felt.
Set a timer, put on music, and let it be unstructured. Laugh if it’s awkward, that’s kind of the whole point.
To help you bring a little more fun into your life—just for you, and as often as possible—we’re closing this week’s newsletter with a playful challenge from the rooh team.
Dr. Stuart Brown recommends mapping your “play history.”
Here’s a simplified version you can try today:
Step 1: List 3–5 things you loved doing as a kid—activities that made you feel most alive.
Step 2: Next to each one, write down the feeling it gave you — maybe it was freedom, silliness, curiosity, or flow.
Step 3: Then, find a grown-up-friendly way to reconnect with just one of those feelings.
Loved climbing trees? Take an unusual path on your walk home.
Made up dances in your room? Put on a song and move however you want.
Obsessed with building stuff? Try LEGOs, puzzles, or anything tactile.
You’re not trying to recreate the past perfectly. You’re just tapping into the part of you that still knows how to feel light.
 | Mel Robbins: |
 | The Heart of Practice with Elena BrowerJoin yoga luminary, author, and speaker Elena Brower for an exploration of the heart of practice. Elena will share insights from her own journey and her work with students around the world, illuminating how consistent practice can be a catalyst for transformation. Discover how to cultivate a meaningful practice that sustains you on and off the mat, and connect with the deeper essence of yoga. May 18th | |
 | Lewis Howes: |
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