Reengage In Leisure

Do You Engage In Leisure?

Have you ever been in a situation where someone asks you about your hobbies and interests? Do you know how to answer?  Do you need to reengage in leisure?

If you were to ask yourself this question right now, what would you say? What comes to mind?

At some point, many of us quietly stop doing the things we do for no reason at all. Work fills the calendar, responsibilities multiply, and leisure gets pushed to later. Except, later rarely comes.  Leisure isn’t a reward you earn after the real or important work is done. It’s part of what keeps a person whole. Hobbies and activities give the mind room to wander, build confidence outside of performance metrics, and offer a sense of identity that isn’t tied to output or achievement. When leisure disappears, something subtle goes with it — a looseness, a curiosity, a willingness to try something new for fun.  Sometimes, we even combine it with therapy through ecotherapy!

Reengaging In Leisure

Reengaging in leisure after a long gap can be challenging and feel oddly uncomfortable. It can be hard to motivate oneself to have fun again. Perhaps it feels indulgent or irresponsible to spend an afternoon on something that may seem to have no payoff, especially in a financial sense.

Is this you?  Have you found that your leisure has stopped? Do you struggle to answer the question, what do you do for fun? If so, take note of your free time activities and consider the following questions:

• What do you actually do in your free time?
• Do you allow yourself to have unstructured free time?
• Can you sit with boredom?
• How often do you notice yourself on your phone?
• Do you gravitate to your phone even without a specific purpose or need for it?
• When watching a show or movie, do you have trouble focusing on what you are watching?

The question of what we enjoy doing in our free time is becoming increasingly difficult for some to answer. I often ask clients about their leisure activities, and sometimes they struggle to identify any. When I ask them about their phone usage or their relationship with their phone, I often learn that they have difficulty moderating the amount of time spent on their phone. I challenge them to consider if they feel better, worse, or no different after scrolling through their phone.

Do you recall having hobbies, interests, or activities you used to engage in more regularly that have been neglected? Do you wish you could reengage in these activities?

Changing habits takes intention, time, and being realistic with ourselves. Reducing screen time is challenging, but there are screen time limits you can easily set up.  Of course, many of us prefer to ignore these options.  Exploring leisure interests and making them easily accessible can be beneficial. Leisure interests don’t have to be extreme. For instance, I’ve found myself starting a show and then realizing halfway through that I’m lost in the plot because I’m on my phone. To combat this, I’ve started having a crocheting project or a puzzle nearby. This way, I can work on these while still paying attention to the show. This approach has resulted in fewer rewinds and less overall time spent on my phone.

How To Reengage

If you’re trying to reengage in leisure or a hobby and don’t know where to start, consider asking yourself some of the following questions:

• What activities did I enjoy doing in the past?
• Is this something I still want to do and can do now?
• Am I willing and able to spend money on a leisure activity?
• Would I be interested in pursuing something physical, creative, or intellectual?
• Am I interested in doing something with others?
• What causes or issues am I passionate about?
• Are there volunteer opportunities related to these causes?
• What affordable or free opportunities might be available to me locally?  Maybe a library or local sports league.

When you reengage in leisure, it isn’t about adding another task to an already full life. It’s about remembering that not everything needs to justify itself. Some things are worth doing simply because they make life feel more like your own.