Do you remember the fun things you did as a child? How did you feel indulging in one? The happiest moments would more likely have been something carefree, silly, without the pressures of time and structure. Amidst the never-ending pressures of adulthood, we find ourselves lacking in time and energy to earn our leisure time. It stands out so much more for a woman who finds herself juggling multiple roles.
I am conscious of my choice to write about Self-Care around Leisure as the first self-care area of focus. In our quest to be healthy, we might have been giving importance to areas around physical self-care. In our want or need to be a working professional, we might have been focusing on intellectually self-care. We might not have any pressing need or want to focus on leisure activities because we have adapted ourselves to function without a leisure break.
Leisure activity is one that you do because it is fun to do and is not a task to complete.What do you think is your go to leisure activity? It could be something that you enjoyed as a child, for example, colouring. You can gift yourself an adult colouring book and enjoy its calming effect. A leisure activity could also be an activity that you have already been doing as a task. Cooking, for instance, could be a task while it can also double up as a leisure activity when you take time to cook for fun. A leisure self-care activity can be something that you have always wanted to do but didn't have the time or means to do it. If you had always wanted to learn to dance, you could play a video tutorial, and starting learning to dance. A leisure activity doesn't have to be something elaborate. It could be in pockets amidst your daily chores like taking time off to sip your coffee while looking out through the window.
Leisure activities are a proven stress buster. There is no one but you who has to give yourself permission to indulge in a leisure activity. Much more than an indulgence, it is also a way towards self-care. Challenge yourself to discover your go-to leisure activity and share how it felt like to involve yourself in one.
The author of this blog is Jennifer Moses, a Psychotherapist with a private practice. She is also a trainer, supervisor and counsellor at Prerana Academy, a Center for training and counselling in Bangalore and a Coach at HerSecondInnings, a platform to support woman professionals on a sabbatical.
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Disclaimer : This blog originally appeared on HerSecondInnings.com. Her Second Innings is a platform to support women professionals on a sabbatical in their journey of getting back to work.
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