We all feel better after experiencing some good downtime, the breaks we get from our everyday routines and stresses. Leisure time looks different to everyone, but we all agree leisure is important as it adds energy and flavor to our individual lives. Leisure is essential to becoming and remaining a happy and whole individual.
What Is Leisure And Its Importance?
Leisure is any activity in which you express your unique self. Leisure is important as it contributes to your physical, emotional, social, and spiritual being. Our problems and issues would grow and grow until the weight of the problems are too much to bear when we do not have the creativity, knowledge, or skills to solve the issues. Leisure time is essential for everyone as it brings our expression of creativity and wholeness within it. Without expressing who we are, our creativity, and completeness, none of us would grow emotionally, socially, physically, or spiritually.
It’s crucial for leisure time to be a part of a person’s schedule as leisure time does not always come up naturally and is filled with other tasks due to overcommitting daily tasks or performing necessities on weekends. Then there are significant life changes, like starting a family, becoming unemployed, or getting sick, resulting in a scarcity of downtime. When this happens, obligations pile up, creating even more undue stress.
The Values Of Leisure
There is deep value in leisure as it is the opportunity to explore the world around you, and you have the control to choose how to spend your time. Leisure balances our lives which is a positive thing. The entire point of leisure is there is no negative consequences of missing a deadline. Nothing terrible will happen because you are engaged in the activity. The core values of leisure are dependent on the individual and their needs; however, the following are typical:
- Physical Well Being – Our bodies allow us to move in the world, and when we take care of them, they respond by giving us the energy and stamina we require to go on our life journey.
- Emotional Release – Our emotions direct our lives, and we utilize emotions to determine what and where we go in the world. Expressing your emotions through leisure provides you with the opportunity to explore what you do or do not like to move forward.
- Social Interaction – It is no surprise that we all crave social interactions with others. Friendship, closeness, being heard, and sharing ourselves with another brings great joy and peace. Leisure and the activities you like to engage in brings you to people with similar interests that will help your social interaction flourish, and in turn, you too will prosper.
Leisure And Happiness Link Together
Leisure can help reduce stress and makes us happier and healthier. A leisure-filled life can instill a feeling of productivity and success related to purposeful leisure endeavors rather than the struggles of life. When the leisure activity is pleasurable, you are happier as a result. In addition, leisure can improve moods and outlooks on life. Therefore, it is imperative to participate in personally meaningful leisure activities.
Participating in activities gives you space to contemplate various ideas. Different parts of the brain are activated, causing unique thoughts or ideas. When this happens, creativity potentially increases. With the proper amount of downtime, a person can receive solutions to problems, answers they’ve been searching for, and more.
Depending on the problems trying to be solved, this means a great deal for the world. Literary works, art pieces, and inventions have changed the world due to creativity, curiosity, leisure time, dreaming, and seeing ideas from all angles. Our lives are more vibrant and convenient because of the relationships between ideas, problems, and possibilities found at the intersection of leisure and play.
Leisure And Each Persons Identity
Leisure improves cognitive function, helps people cope with negative feelings they may be facing, and can help release and realign the person. Leisure reduces stress, the feelings of being overwhelmed that stop and trap you, letting you become unstuck. The respite that participating in leisure pursuits allows you to focus on necessary tasks in your life.
Leisure time allows you more freedom in your life, time to relax or devote yourself to interests. By sharing these activities with a group, new networking opportunities can occur. Additionally, this can mean meeting a new romantic interest or a best friend. Each person’s leisure activities give us a peek into the mind and personality of that individual.
Finding Leisure Activities For You
Anything you’re doing that brings you fulfillment can count as a leisure activity. If you don’t know what brings you happiness and makes you feel like you’re having fun, then create a plan during your downtime to start experimenting.
Purposely set aside time to try something new. For example, you could join a cooking class for an afternoon at a local gathering spot to see if you might enjoy it. You can start learning about geocaching if you’re itching to find buried treasure. People can also try something as uncomplicated and straightforward as watching people from a mall or courtyard bench.
If finances are and issue participate in low cost activities to check them out and see what if you enjoy them. For example, if you’ve always wanted to learn how to play the harmonica, then buy a relatively inexpensive one and give it a go.
If there’s a subject you’re curious about, stop by your local library and ask the librarian to help you track down material on the topic. Librarians can be a massive help in earthing specific tidbits you wouldn’t find on your own. In addition, what you learn at the library may give you the next idea or leisure activity to try.
Examples of Leisure Activities
There are passive, active, high-risk, and low-risk activities. Check out the table below, which shows a few of the many possible leisure pursuits in each category.
| PASSIVE | ACTIVE | HIGH RISK | LOW RISK |
| Reading | Running | Sky Diving | Hiking |
| Music | Karate | Scuba | Sports |
| Volunteering | Exercise | Rock Climbing | Dancing |
| Needlework | Biking | Hang Gliding | Video Games |
Final Thoughts
Everyone should purposely make time for leisure. There are many benefits, and the problems and tasks you’re facing could be solved or reduced by consciously taking the time to do things that bring you joy. Take the Am I Satisfied With My Leisure Quiz to see where you are at.
Start by brainstorming ideas, and then pick a few to try. Don’t ever worry if it doesn’t work out. The point is to have fun trying to see what happens next.
