Play Your Way Sane: 120 Improv-Inspired Exercises to Help You Calm Down, Stop Spiraling, and Embrace Uncertainty

by Clay Drinko

Stop negative thoughts, assuage anxiety, and live in the moment with these fun, easy games from improv expert Clay Drinko.

If you've been feeling lost lately, you're not alone! Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans were experiencing record levels of loneliness and anxiety. And in our current political turmoil, it's safe to say that people are looking for new tools to help them feel more present, positive, and in sync with the world. So what better way to get there than play?

In Play Your Way Sane, Dr. Clay Drinko offers 120 low-key, accessible activities that draw on the popular principles of improv comedy to help you tackle your everyday stress and reconnect with the people around you. Divided into twelve fun sections, including "Killing Debbie Downer" and "Thou Shalt Not Be Judgy," the games emphasize openness, reciprocation, and active listening as the keys to a mindful and satisfying life. Whether you're looking to improve your personal relationships, find new meaning at work, or just survive our trying times, Play Your Way Sane offers serious self-help with a side of Second City sass.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Mental Health, Psychology

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 19, 2021

About the author

Clay Drinko, Ph.D. is an educator and the author of Play Your Way Sane: 120 Improv-Inspired Exercises to Help You Calm Down, Stop Spiraling, and Embrace Uncertainty and Theatrical Improvisation, Consciousness, and Cognition. He's also a regular contributor for Psychology Today, Lifehack, and www.PlayYourWaySane.com.

Reviews

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking forward to this one as I love the idea of playing little games during the day to help manage anxiety and otherwise help get things done better. That said, they're not really games as much as little improv exercises. One of the early ones is to go around the room and just name objects as quickly as possible (bed, table, vitamins) without saying anything negative or positive about them. Then the next one is to name them the wrong things. I did that with one of my sons and we kind of had fun with it, but it didn't really help us in any way. That was one of the more fun ones to me. A lot of them are just weird little exercises. The author is really into improv so he incorporates a lot of little improv exercises but not the most fun ones IMO. I finished it a couple of weeks ago and have already forgotten almost all of it, unfortunately. I didn't come away from it really wanting to incorporate it, even though our family does do a lot of real improv for fun. It's certainly unique though and it's a very novel way to try to get a grip on challenging emotions.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Improv is freakin’ magic.”

“The secret lies in improv’s structure—a set of rules that allows players to stop worrying and second-guessing and to ease into the moment and be completely engaged with their fellow performers.”

“The best-known improv rule is probably “Yes, And,” or the rule of agreement. It’s a pretty simple concept, really. When one improviser says something, the other one has to go along with it—but also add something else to the scene. Then improviser number one agrees and adds more. A scene is born!”

“Another thing that gets improvisers “out of their heads” is their childlike sense of discovery and play.”

“I truly believe we all just want to be seen and heard. In order to feel seen and heard, and therefore valued, we have to learn how to see and hear others—without judgment, and with an unbreakable sense of wonder and curiosity.”

An entire book of games and fun that gets us out of our heads, gets us playing again.

[(a)lyss(a) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was around 3.5 stars for me.

This book is full of "games" that help you get through life. Most of them come across more like "hacks" or other ways to stay in the moment, be more observant, or even remember people's names. Some of them seem really helpful and creative. Some don't feel particularly relevant. It seems kind of like a fake it until you make it book that helps you learn skills.

There's a variety of games the author presents to help people navigate life, or very specific social situations.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a fun book. I'll probably have to listen to it a few times for maximum benefits.

I listen to audiobooks while driving, and in the lesson about pointing at things and naming them, I was rolling along with gas station, stop sign, etc. Then we got to the lesson on pointing at things and giving them the wrong name, and I was driving past this house that had a tall white pedestal with a basin on top in the garden. I pointed and said "sink" thinking it was a birdbath, and then did a double take and, oh yeah, they actually just had a pedestal sink in the middle of the front yard! They were doing their own improv I guess. I had a good laugh with myself about that one!

[Beth Bonness · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love. Love. Loved this book. When researching improv and how it could improve your relationships, Clay Drinko's book showed up. The whole concept of "Yes, and" made so much sense in how we interact with people. And upon reflection, even as an optimist, when I find myself leaning toward "no" - I know understand the ripple effect. Clay has so many exercises, too many to share.

Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy, there are plenty of games that can be used with family and friends, even if you're not calling them out explicitly.

Thank you Clay!

Beth

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is certainly different. I liked it. Certainly not all of the exercises will work for readers, but with an open mind, some of them will be helpful. The book is written a very friendly, honest style, which adds to it's potential effectiveness. Recommended for those will to do some things that may be a little uncomfortable or at least off-beat -- just enough to have a positive impact.

I really appreciate the ARC for review!!

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Goodreads Giveaway (ARC)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I’m totally using some of these improv exercises in my daily life because they are certainly an entertaining and fun way to grow.

I literally laughed out loud when I was reading this especially towards the end where they discussed “caca” all over the floor, like I legit busted out laughing like a lunatic in the waiting room of my doctors office.

Read the book. Do the work. You won’t regret it. I recommend this book for sure.

[Kiera Beddes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a presentation on fostering positive relationships with your faculty this week and I wanted to give them some ideas of specific activities they could use to shift from the negative to the positive. This book was a great intro to the world of improv and I found a lot of great advice inside. It will be interesting to see how I can incorporate it in a way that feels authentic to the attendees. Or maybe I'll just improv my way through the whole thing. 😜

[L E · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful adventure through every day life. It's tough out there, y'all. But with humor, Drinko offers a whole lot of ways to make it a little more sane and fun. Laughing out loud while working on being a more brave and calm person was a fabulous use of my day.

Thank you to Goodreads, the author, and publisher for my free advanced copy.

[Mannie Schumpert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very humorous and useful for people with anxious tendencies!

One of the most helpful insights I gleaned from it was the perspective that other people you work with or encounter in social situations are your *collaborators* in life. Seeing others as "improv playmates" has really improved the way I approach situations that would normally put me in a defensive posture.

[Eric Rosen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this! In these awful times, these games are so fun - I love the author’s humorous style and it’s clear he knows what he’s talking about. I got a free copy in exchange for a review - but as a former actor I’m going to give copies to a few friends.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exercises are simple and easy to implement, not everything will work, just have to pick out a few and tweak it to your liking. The author's experiences/humor also makes the book relatable and easy to follow. Personally I found the most value in the first half of the book, parts of the second half seemed repetitive to me.

[Sage · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am always on the hunt for a great book on how to be more mindful in my everyday life and this one has been one of my favorites. So many fun and accessible practices that I can use in my day to day. A must read!!

[Zabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good, well thought out book. I have been using the techniques in this book and know they will continue to help me over time! Was very happy to have won this book giveaway and now I can pass the book along to someone else I know it will help and it can go on.

[Rebecca Graber Henderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has a lot of games, activities, etc. Some are helpful but others seem irrelevant. A few good nuggets but overall not worth the read. The overall tone was meant to be playful but just was not it for me.

[Keren Vered · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Super easy to read and a great go-to reminder and resource on surviving (and enjoying) life. Definitely think we’re all in need of some play in our lives this year.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're interested in improv or being more present in your daily life, I'd recommend this. I'll be going back to the games in here for a long time.

[Carey]

I'm not going to give this a star rating because I think there's a lot of merit to this book, but it isn't for me.

[Melissa McDuffie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Overstating the obvious. Moronically simple.