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Natalie Rayder

Making Time for Leisure

Updated: Sep 22, 2020


I don’t know about you, but I have gone through seasons in my life where I’ve been extremely overworked to the point of exhaustion. During sophomore year in college, I was working 4 part time jobs (sometimes totaling over 25 hours a week), taking 17 credits, and volunteering any spare time to various sporting and recreation events. The only time I got to see my boyfriend was when I would visit him at his college down the street from mine to study and do homework in between our classes. I knew this was taking a toll on my mental and emotional health, but I had absolutely no time to deal with it. It wasn’t until I learned about this very important simple thing called leisure that I started to intentionally make changes.

Now of course I’ve heard about leisure before. It’s a pretty common word that people use. To me, leisure was associated to more of a vacation or relaxing type of thing. But leisure is actually a very necessary part of our daily lives. A basic definition of it is: It’s the activities you do during your free time away from any obligations. Leisure experiences are when people feel free, present, and connected to other people, the environment, or themselves in meaningful ways. However, leisure is not just frivolous fun. From a book I recently read called Lessons Learned, it states that in fact leisure is a serious concept that can have a tremendous impact on people. There is a close connection between leisure and quality of life because it can rejuvenate oneself, help achieve self-fulfillment, practice self-expression, and motivate people to participate in growth producing activities – which all lead to high levels of wellness!

Now going back to my sophomore year when I rarely had free time, I would argue that I could not possibly fit any type of leisure into my lifestyle. I had absolutely no time!! However, there are endless leisure opportunities every day for people to engage in. Applying leisure to our daily life is actually very simple and yet people need help on how to independently seek leisure opportunities for themselves. Just one of the many impactful things that Therapeutic Recreation Specialists do, is educate people about leisure. Their job is to engage participants in an educational process designed to help them understand the value of leisure and how to fit that into their lives. Too often we are overworked and exhausted with no end in sight. It’s important to take time in our daily routines to participate in leisure activities to improve our mental and emotional health by taking a break from work and all obligations.

At this point you must be wondering “But HOW exactly can I do that? My life is way too busy.” The answer can be simple as listening to a podcast or your favorite music during you daily commute.

Yes! It is actually that easy!

We engage in leisure activities more then we even realize. Self-reflection, essential oils, positive reframing, coloring, deep breathing, a walk outside, or talking with family and friends on the phone are all considered leisure activities. These activities help us connect to ourselves, the environment, and other people in a meaningful way.

Here are some tips that I used to incorporate more leisure into my hectic life:

Be Intentional

Make a commitment to do something for yourself every day or week that you want to do. Something that makes you soulfully fulfilled and happy. There is only one of you! So, make leisure a priority for your own health and wellness because you are worth it!

Rethink your Routine

Often, I feel that we get stuck in a routine that’s anything but what we really want our days to be like. Is there a better way of doing things? You’re the creator of your life — make a new routine that’s more pleasant, more optimal, more filled with things you love.

For me I had what felt like an endless list of “to do’s” and places to be, but I found time in my evening routine where instead of wasting time on my phone before bed… I spent it doing something I wanted and needed to do which was self-reflection journaling. This allowed me to release all my stress and worries before sleeping and have a more peaceful rest which I sooo needed.

It’s just making small adjustments in your routine, which leads me to my last tip…

Start Small

It doesn’t have to be a huge time commitment or activity. Sometimes the littlest things bring the most joy and most fulfillment in our lives which contribute to our mental and emotional health.

No matter what is going on in your life, or how busy you think you are, you can ALWAYS (and I mean ALWAYS) find time to take a step back and participate in leisure activities for your enjoyment and for the sake of your health. I would argue that leisure is one of the most important things we can do as human beings… so now that you know how extremely important it is, go and intentionally find ways to make meaningful connections to your friends, family, environment, and most importantly yourself! :)


References:

Austin, David R. Lessons Learned: an Open Letter to Recreational Therapy Students & Practitioners. Sagamore Publishing, 2016.


Jehna, Kanini. “Why You Should Make Leisure Activities Part of Your Life.” Thrive Global, 30 Apr. 2019, thriveglobal.com/stories/why-you-should-make-leisure-activities-part-of-your-life/.

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