What is leisure?
Leisure is free time used for enjoyment. It’s doing something you want to do, not what you have to do; you enjoy the activity, and it’s during your free time, not during work, or when you have to do something else.
Unfortunately, we often see leisure as something we can enjoy only when we’ve completed certain tasks, if we have time and energy left afterwards. I am often guilty of this myself.
Benefits of Leisure:
Leisure is actually good for us and is necessary for maintaining balance in our lives. It helps us de-stress and unwind. In social settings, we can develop community and maintain social networks. Leisure activities with the family are great for building relationships, team spirit and general enjoyment. One of the things I enjoy doing is calling up friends impromptu.
Leisure can be a hobby, such as playing an instrument, knitting, or doing jigsaw puzzles. It can be a sport you enjoy playing, maybe even shooting hoops with your kids or friends or going hiking or fishing. It could be watching a movie with your family. In our family, we enjoy getting outside, playing musical instruments and watching films. (I might add that we do spend a great deal of time deciding which film to watch.)
So go ahead and set aside some time in your day and week for leisure activities. If you aren’t doing it right now, start by planning a 15 minute break during your day to do something you want to do for fun. Plan on a longer period of time during the weekend, preferably with your family. Call up a friend you haven’t chatted with for a while.
Comment and let me know what you are doing to have fun!
“Journey to Health with Priya” provides general educational information on various topics on this website as a public service, which should not be construed as professional medical advice.