THERAPIST THURSDAY: The Value of Recreation

With Independence Day celebrations in full swing this week, I thought it would be helpful to discuss RECREATION and its effect on LONGEVITY.

In this modern world of ours, so many of us are overbooked and stressed. We often spend our days working, running kids from one activity to the next, and trying to squeeze in chores like laundry and making dinner. It seems like there are just not enough hours in the day to get it all in. We all have way too much going on! Then on top of that we try to work in things that are good for our health, like eating healthy and exercising. Due to this overbooked lifestyle most of us lead, people often tell me that they don’t have TIME to relax or to take it easy, even if it may be just what we need to de-stress. But what if I told you that skipping the to-do list every once in a while, and replacing it with a little fun and recreation could actually ADD YEARS TO YOUR LIFE? And that the number of years it adds could be as many as ELEVEN?! Would that get your attention?

Yes, it’s true, up to eleven years for doing one thing on a regular basis: taking time for recreation! Sounds too good to be true, right?

To understand why this is actually true, we must look at our body and how it reacts to stress. When we are rushing from one thing to another, we are often operating in our sympathetic nervous system and our fight or flight responses are activated. When this occurs, we are in a state of increased arousal, our muscles are tight, our heart is beating faster, and our adrenaline is pumping through our system.The problem with this is that it is designed to be a temporary and occasional state to help us get out of trouble. When we live our lives in our sympathetic nervous system on a regular basis, we are burning out our adrenal glands and wearing out our bodies.

There is much research on what this stress does to our bodies. Stress is linked to every major disease in our world today. It reduces our immune system, which makes us susceptible to illness, it slows our digestion and leads to weight gain, and it increases fatigue. In contrast, when we are calm and relaxed, when we are in the moment and taking in our environment as it comes, our body is in it’s parasympathetic nervous system. We are able to rest, digest our food more effectively, and be more mindful of the here and now. When we have balance in our lives, we are in this state much more often than when we are running around from one activity and responsibility to the next.

Understanding this begins to make it more believable that participating in recreation on a regular basis would have such a positive impact on both mind and body, as well as our overall health.

But what is recreation exactly? The formal definition is: a pastime, diversion, exercise, or other resource affording relaxation and enjoyment. Recreating is a verb meaning: to refresh by means of relaxation and enjoyment, to restore physically or mentally.

Basically, it is any activity that one does for the purpose of fun, relaxation, or enjoyment. It is the OPPOSITE of work! It can include any activity a person does to unwind. Anything that revitalizes the soul and the body. So, I ask you, what do you do to recreate? How do you unwind? What do you do to relax and enjoy the moment? How do you revitalize your body and soul?

For some, that’s a hobby, for others it may be exercise, for another it may be reading, meditating, or being in nature. Over the July Forth holiday, I think most of us Americans make recreation a priority. We use that day to put aside our other responsibilities and focus on relaxing and spending time with the people who matter to us, while reflecting on our freedom and the sacrifices made by many to allow us that freedom. We allow ourselves time to appreciate the many gifts we’ve been given, the abundance of food, friends, and family. We unwind and take in the day. We pause for fireworks, outdoor picnics, and barbeques. We listen to music that makes us feel happy. We let the stress leave our body and forget about work and responsibilities for a while. And this is great! It is so good for our bodies and for our souls.But what about the fifth of July? Do we just return to the mindless grind that day? Do we again put recreation on the back burner, believing it would be lazy or irresponsible to take other days to unwind? What if we start to think about recreation differently? What if we keep in mind it’s health benefits? What if we decide to make it a more regular part of our lives? If not because it’s fun, maybe simply because it will increase our longevity.Maybe we can’t do it on the fifth of July, but maybe we can make a point to fit it in somewhere regularly. Maybe we can all begin to ask ourselves: did I get enough recreation this week?

If you have a topic you would like addressed on Therapist Thursday, please email Rochelle at meetme4therapy@gmail.com.

Rochelle Whitson is a psychotherapist in private practice in Temecula, CA. She is also author of the blog www.meetme4therapy.com.