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Make Time for Fun and Relaxation
Summer is a special time for family fun.
A sense of play and the ability to relax are second nature to some people. These folks don't need to be reminded of how good it feels to whack a tennis ball over a net or help their kids build a model railroad.
For others, it helps to be reminded that play and relaxation have a purpose.
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Why You Need Leisure
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In addition to providing satisfaction in itself, as little as an hour a day of leisure time helps you stay in balance.
Physical fun in the form of aerobic activity helps dissolve the tension that accumulates in your body during stressful times.
When you add more leisure to your life, you'll become a healthier and more effective employee and parent.
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How to Have Fun
Have you forgotten how to have fun?
If so, don't lose hope.Play is serious business for kids, so take some cues from your children. Healthy, happy kids invest their entire heart and soul into their play activities. They approach their physical games and flights of imagination with a kind of abandon most adults have forgotten is possible.
- When it's your turn to play,choose some activities that are just for you and others you can do as a family.
- If you need to schedule leisure time activities into your busy day, do so.
- Pick sports, hobbies and outings that give you and your family a sense of enrichment or simply make everyone feel good.
- Remember to allow time for unexpected pleasures.
- Reserve quiet times at the beginning or end of the day to meditate or relax with a favorite quiet activity, such as reading or crafts.
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Devote Yourself to Fun
Once you've chosen an activity,
put your whole heart and mind into it.
| Though leisure time itself may be for rest and relaxation, the same skillful planning and prioritizing you use at work can help you to get more enjoyment out of your free time.
- Guard your free time by learning to say 'no.'
- Write leisure activities into your weekly schedule just like other appointments. Keep the appointment!
- Leave your work worries at the office. Write work projects and deadlines on a piece of paper, leave them in your desk drawer and forget about them until you return to work.
- Make transition time between work and what comes next. When you get home, change into comfortable, fun clothes that make you feel good.
- Keep a list of things you'd like to do in your free time. When that time arrives, consult your list, pick an activity and do it.
Here are some ideas for having fun: |
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Personal Recreation
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- Pursue a new hobby or revive a former one.
- Establish and maintain a regular exercise program.
- Learn a new sport. Consider racquetball, cycling, jogging, boating or dancing.
- Join a book discussion group.
- Seek a creative outlet in crafts, music or art.
- Join a community group.
- Enroll in a class.
- Call someone you haven't talked to in a long time.
- Go for a walk in a new part of town.
- Take a scenic or less traveled route home.
- Visit an antique shop.
- Set aside one evening a week for a meeting with friends or coworkers after work, perhaps for a game, pizza or a potluck dinner.
- One or two evenings a week, make it a habit to set aside a special time for yourself. Exercise, read, phone a friend, water your garden, watch the sunset or do nothing at all!
Family Fun
- Attend a sports or entertainment event together.
- Take your children to a special movie or amusement center.
- Visit the zoo.
- Go on cycling trips.
- Fly a kite.
- Take walks around the neighborhood or to the park or library.
- Take day trips to the country.
- Visit science and art museums.
- Turn off the TV one day a week and fill that time creatively.
Play charades and board games instead. - Consider weekend family getaways to parks and beaches.
- Participate in bike-a-thons, walk-a-thons and other fund-raisers.
- Make planning your vacation a family activity. Encourage your children to read travel brochures and library books about your destination. Discuss your trip and some of the sights you'll see.
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Source: Adapted from "Make Time for Fun and Relaxation" (1960.029) and "Get Smart About Leisure" (1420.043) © Parlay International. Distributed under license.
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